I watched and listened with interest some of the undertakings of the Union Of B C Municipalities (UBCM) and the coverage they received at their annual convention regarding the industrial tax base and the controversy caused when that sector decided that enough is enough and refused to pay their taxes.

The business and industrial portion of our community pays the brunt of the taxes.

They have the greatest assessment value so should they not pay? That statement is two-fold. One, business and industry pay the most taxes, and two, they do not get a vote.

The government gave municipalities the opportunity to set different tax rate or (mil rates) for different categories, (residential, commercial, industrial, recreational etc.) for a reason. Should they get a vote? That’s what’s up for debate. It was once the case but the NDP removed it in the 1990s.

I was mayor at the time and was confronted by many on the subject. I was also chastised at the time for living out of town and being mayor, even though I paid more than $10,000 in city taxes and did not get a vote. But that’s for another article when the topic is up for debate.

Residential properties pay some very substantial taxes, depending on their assessed value, but do not normally pay enough to carry the day for the normal wear and tear on the services they demand.

If it were not for the business and industrial tax base, we could not afford to live in this community, or many communities, in the province and pay for the amenities we have.

It is not the business or industry portion of our community that demand parks, arts, culture, recreational facilities, social planning, and the list goes on.

Those issues are promoted by the residential sector, and rightly so, as the people are the ones that see them every day. The corporation owner is, at least in many cases, once removed and only the employees live with the effects of having, or not having, the social side of our community.

Should the ones providing the jobs, creating the wealth, paying the most taxes not get a vote, or at least some say in how the community operates?