The BC Liberals 2001 New Era Platform promised to "require taxpayer approval by regional referendums prior to authorization of any new type of TransLink tax or levy." Fast forward to December 2005 when the Liberal government granted the Greater Vancouver Transportation Board-TransLink-the authority to collect a new parking area tax on all non-residential property owners. No referendum was held yet new taxes were levied and bills sent out this past January.

There is mounting opposition to this new tax imposed by the unelected and unaccountable TransLink. And for good reason. TransLink has tried to justify the new tax was needed to meet their massive capital plans. The problem with that explanation is that it doesn't add up; even with the $20 million in new parking tax revenue, the Board's plans are not fully funded. So, who do you think TransLink will be hitting next Homeowners, motorists, hydro customers

This "Board" makes no apologies for tax grabs year after year in the form of property tax assessment windfalls. TransLink not only needs to re-draw its capital plan within its existing budget (pre-parking tax), it needs to have its wings clipped.

It was welcome news when the Transportation Minister announced a comprehensive governance review of this taxing behemoth. Minister Falcon appointed a three member panel to submit a report with recommendations by this fall. The scope of the review includes: the division of responsibility between the province and TransLink for transportation matters in Greater Vancouver, the size, composition and appointment process of the Board, revenue raising measures and ensuring adequate oversight.

Certainly this is a good long term goal and will stimulate a public debate on the utility and benefit of TransLink. However, the parking tax issue is an immediate problem for all Greater Vancouver non-residential property owners and should be the concern of everyone across the province. If TransLink successfully maintains its latest tax grab rest assured every other municipality will want the same taxing power too!

Therefore, it is all the more important that this tax be scrapped sooner rather than later. Granted, the original legislation that created the regional transportation board in 1992 included a parking site tax provision but it is the current government that gave it the ability to levy and collect it. Therefore, this mess in not TransLink's alone but the provincial government as well, who must now act to clean it up and scrap the tax.

The incredible opposition to this tax proves two things: given the power to tax, any government body will tax. And second, that unelected and unaccountable decision makers do not respond or respect taxpayers.

TransLink has a spending problem not a revenue problem. In one year alone, it increased expenditures by a whopping 10 per cent! The total budget is fast approaching a billion dollars and it still doesn't have its capital plans fully funded. TransLink is the beneficiary of several different revenues: property taxes, transit fares, hydro levies, fuel taxes, a sales tax on parking stalls and of course its latest parking tax (yes, that's in addition to the parking stall tax)!

It's time the province told TransLink to put its revenue expansion plans on hold until its governance review is conducted and order it to re-work its budget without the expected $20 million in parking tax revenues (which will cost an incredible $6 million to implement).

If you would like to see the new parking tax scrapped, go to our website, www.taxpayer.com and fill out the petition!

TransLink: unelected, unaccountable and out of control.