Let them play tennis
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
It seems Penticton council has been taking political lessons from Marie Antoinette. While consideration has been given to taxing those agencies in the city that help the poorest of the poor, such as St. Saviour’s Anglican Church (The Soupateria), Penticton and District Society for Community Living (people with mental and or physical challenges), South Okanagan Women in Need Society and others too numerous to mention, council has decided to move ahead on the construction of a tennis bubble.
This structure will cost in the neighbourhood of $250,000. A bubble of money to serve less than 200 people in a club that has a large number of non-taxpaying members from outside the city.
The figure of approximately $62,800 has been suggested as the tax take from those organizations.
Money that would be directed to social programs, for the mentally challenged, financially impoverished and emotionally distressed due to family strife. Now this will flow into city hall.
Council’s new mission statement must now be changed to “let them play tennis.” Ms. Antoinette would be proud of you. After all the poor have no political clout, but well-heeled tennis players do.
Randy Manuel
Penticton
Groups deserve tax break
There are many decisions Penticton council has taken in recent months with which I disagree, the decision to sell two of the Munson Mountain lots immediately comes to mind, and I have been tempted to write to express my disagreement and disappointment. However, the straw that has broken the camel’s back, so to speak, is the decision by Mayor Ashton and councillors Vassilaki, Pearce and Jakubeit to roll back tax exemptions on some of the city’s faith-based and non-profit organizations, specifically those with $50,000 plus in working capital, an arbitrary figure set by city staff.
This decision troubles me greatly. I appreciate this has been, and continues to be, a very difficult year financially: for the city, for business, for individuals and indeed, for faith-based and non-profit organizations. However, to take from organizations whose mission statement and actions serve those with the greatest needs, children and seniors in particular, and give a tax break to the rest of us is immoral and unethical.
We are our brother’s keeper, we have a responsibility to ensure that each individual in our community is fed, clothed and educated. Society (that’s us) recognizes that for a whole variety of reasons some need more help than others to achieve this. One simple way to help these individuals is to assist the organizations that serve them by giving the organizations a tax break and then divide what would have been collected amongst the rest of us, and in this particular instance that’s not a whole lot of money. This is nothing new, after all, it’s the way our health care system basically works.
Thank you councillors Litke, Sentes and Albas for voting against this motion. I have no idea if this is a ‘done deal’ or whether the issue can be opened for review during budget negotiations this fall. I urge you to do so.
Andrina Iliffe
Penticton
Remember council’s action
How sad that our Penticton city council has decided to start taxing the property of churches and non-profits. I believe this is unprecedented in Penticton and almost all cities.
Groups who have been of untold benefit to the community will be hurt and their work limited, all for the sake of saving $60,000 in a multi-million-dollar budget. The council vote was 4-3, with Dan Albas, Gary Litke and Judy Sentes opposed. If this new tax policy goes ahead, I would urge citizens not to vote for the other four council members at the next election.
Jim Hill
Penticton
v2
