What is Taxpayer Money?

This post is going to be light on facts when compared to my previous efforts.

I'd like to pose a question to you.  What do you consider taxpayer money?

1)  Is it strictly money that comes directly from your pocket book and goes to the District in the form of property taxes?

2)  Is it money that you pay in property taxes (#1 above), plus any fees for services provided by the District?

3)  Or could it be any money that the District receives?


I would like to present the perspective that it is case #3.

Any money that the District receives, regardless of the source, is taxpayer money.

Off to Alberta:
Let us consider the province of Alberta for a moment.
Alberta has no sales tax and no health premiums.
 
Why?  Part of the answer is the handsome sum of money the Alberta government collects in oil royalties.
They can pass that along as a tax savings to the residents of the province. 
If there were no oil royalties - there would be a tax increase for the residents.

So while the money is not directly coming from a resident's wallet, the oil royalties are revenue to the Province which ultimately saves residents money.

An example closer to home: 
Lantzville has a sizable sum of money in Gas Tax Funds.  Money provided by the Government of Canada that may be used towards designated public transit, community energy, water, wastewater, solid waste and capacity building projects.

It is estimated that Lantzville will have $914,000 in gas tax funds by the end of 2014.  
This money is currently tagged for use to pay for the first phase of water.

Considered from a different perspective, it represent approximately 60% of the total property taxes collected in one year.
Or $253 for every person in Lantzville.

That is your money. 


Why is this important?
To us folks here in Lantzville, when a politician tells you that water coming to your area of Lanztville will not cost you anything - we can politely educate them on what taxpayer money truly is.