Where every party stands on budget
2 of the 2 parties on the October 17 ballot have published something on taxes and the city budget. Here they are side by side, each with its source.
BEFORE YOU COMPARE
Who actually decides this
Under the Community Charter a municipality adopts a five-year financial plan by bylaw each year (section 165), and Council then sets the year’s property tax rates by bylaw before May 15 (section 197).
Read the commitments below against that. Where a party proposes something the city cannot do on its own, the commitment carries a line naming who holds the power. That is not a criticism of the promise. A council can lobby, fund and argue, and saying so plainly is more useful than pretending the limit does not exist.
WHAT THE COMPARISON SHOWS
Reading this ballot on budget
2 of the 2 parties have published something here, and between them they have made 11 separate commitments. NEW Burnaby has published the most, with 7.
Not one of these commitments carries a dollar figure, a count or a percentage. They set a direction, which means there is nothing here to check against a budget later.
SIDE BY SIDE
Every published position on budget
| Party | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| NEW Burnaby | NEW Burnaby's platform promises a 0% City property tax increase in the first budget and increases no higher than inflation over four years. Its About page adds a line-by-line audit of City spending. Each list begins with "Only an NBP majority will". | 7 |
| BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association | The BCA's platform promises to keep the City free of debt and to keep property taxes low and predictable, with lower fees for seniors and credits for families in need. It names no tax rate and no limit on yearly increases. | 4 |
NEW BURNABY
A 0% property tax increase in the first budget
NEW Burnaby's platform promises a 0% City property tax increase in the first budget and increases no higher than inflation over four years. Its About page adds a line-by-line audit of City spending. Each list begins with "Only an NBP majority will".
- 0% property tax increase in the first budget
- Tax increases no higher than inflation over four years
- A line-by-line audit of City spending
- Careful spending as a guiding principle at City Hall
BCA - BURNABY CITIZENS ASSOCIATION
Zero City debt and low, predictable property taxes
The BCA's platform promises to keep the City free of debt and to keep property taxes low and predictable, with lower fees for seniors and credits for families in need. It names no tax rate and no limit on yearly increases.
- Keep the City free of debt
- Low and predictable property taxes
- New sources of City income to keep taxes low
- Lower fees for seniors and credits for families in need
Read all 4 BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association commitments, with sources