Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier and Edmonton Mayor Mandel's recent calls for new taxing powers for their cities brings to mind a joke making the e-mail rounds.

It goes something like this:

A politician dies and upon his arrival at the pearly gates he is told he has a choice of going to heaven or hell, and will spend one day in each to help him decide.

Upon his visit to hell, he is greeted by some fellow politicians who take him to a fancy golf club where they spend their day golfing, drinking champagne and eating caviar.

During his visit to heaven, he spends his day floating on clouds, playing harps and singing. When asked by St. Peter where he wants to spend eternity, he chooses hell.

St. Peter escorts him to the gates of hell, where he sees his fellow politicians now dressed in rags and slaving away for the devil.

The politician is confused and asks the devil what happened, it all was so wonderful yesterday. The devil responds: "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted."

This joke is only funny because too often the reality is politicians say one thing during an election and do another after. This is the case with Alberta's big-city mayors.

In winter 2007, Bronconnier, Mandel, and the heads of the Alberta cities association and rural municipalities association authored a report calling for the province to give municipalities the right to levy a raft of new taxes, including a ticket tax, a hotel tax, a property transfer tax, and a vehicle registration tax.

At the time, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimated the new taxes would cost a family of four an additional $911 each year, and called on Minister of Municipal Affairs Ray Danyluk to reject the request. (To date, the minister "reserves decision" on the request).

Premier Ed Stelmach also got into the debate by smartly suggesting the mayors hold plebiscites during their fall municipal elections to see how much support their call for new taxing powers had.

Of course, neither Mandel nor Bronconnier put the question on the ballot.

In fact, both mayors renounced their previous call for new taxing powers during their fall election campaigns.

Only days before the Oct.15 vote, Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel said: "Looking at taxing authorities is really a moot topic. It's not something at this point in time that's front and centre in my mind."

Calgary's mayor was even more vociferous in his renouncement: "We are not pushing for those. The City of Calgary is not seeking new taxes."

Both mayors were re-elected with massive majorities, no doubt assisted by their last-minute conversion on the unpopular new taxing powers request.

Fast forward to the dog days of summer 2008 and lo and behold, both mayors are again asking for new taxing powers.

In Edmonton, Mandel has asked city council to give him approval to meet the premier to discuss the potential for a hotel tax, an entertainment tax, a vehicle registration tax, and rental car tax in Edmonton.

In Calgary, Bronconnier recently voted in favour of asking the province to give the city the power to introduce a 1% land transfer tax.

It's bad enough we have two politicians who want to increase taxes, but even worse that they lied to their citizens about it during the last election.

It's no wonder people will continue to laugh at cynical jokes about politicians lying to them during elections. It's too often true.