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The city's tax burden is now more on the shoulders of home, small business and light industry owners, left.The graph above shows what the money is spent on.
Graphics courtesy City of Prince George
By the numbers
Free ride over for Prince George residents: taxpayers' lobby
Frank Peebles Citizen staff
The emotions are fresh, the numbers are still early in their conception, but reaction is starting to
form around the city’s new tax regime.
On Monday night council voted on the annual tax structure, picking a system that would collect slightly less taxes (although still a
substantial amount) from heavy industry while spreading the difference around among light industry, small business and residential taxpayers.
“I think it is time for residential
taxpayers to realize the free ride is over,” said Maureen Bader on the new emphasis placed by Prince George council away from major businesses and onto individuals.
— See ‘IT FEELS on page 4
HST food for thought
Sarah Makowsky Citizen staff
Right now, groceries like milk and eggs are tax free, and processed foods like cookies and chips subject to GST.
When HST is implemented July 1, groceries with five per cent GST will be subjected to 12 per cent HST. In other words, shoppers will most likely be paying higher grocery bills.
The Canada Revenue Agency states that basic groceries “include most supplies of food marketed for human consumption, including sweetening agents, seasonings and other ingredients to be mixed or used in the preparation of such foods or beverages.”
There are grey areas and exceptions to this rule.
— See SNACK on page 3
P.G. ridings breach signature mark
Citizen staff
The Prince George-Mackenzie and Prince George-Valemount ridings have reached the 10 per cent threshold of registered voter signatures for the HST petition as of Sunday, May 9.
The midpoint of the anti-HST campaign is next week, and Regional Organizer, Mike Summers said it’s a good idea to push for more signatures because Elections BC doesn’t count signatures with incorrect addresses. Signers need to be certain they know their exact address and write it down properly otherwise it will be nullified.
The Nechako Lakes District needs 2,350 signatures to reach a 15 per cent threshold. There’s a blitz this Saturday in Vanderhoof,
Ft. St. James, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, and Houston to push for more signatures.
Out of town residents don’t use their residential addresses often, so they’re reminded to bring a drivers license, or hydro bill when they come to sign the petition.
FUNNY GUY—Jeff Dunham and Walter entertain 3,000 fans at CN Centre on Wednesday night. Dunham is on his Identity Crisis tour and Prince George is one of only two shows he will be doing in Canada.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
sports
Revving up a new season /9
opinion
England all hung up /6
world
Lone survivor in Libyan air crash/ 24
hockey
Heavenly Habs advance/9
diversions
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