See if you can balance the city budget.

[fastar1]

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This is a fun exercise. What would you cut to balance the city budget?

http://www.thestar.com/news/privacy...advertisers-see-our-personal-information.html

I'd balance entirely by cutting fat from the police budget, but that would have to take place over several years.

Alternatively, I tried removing all expenses from the bottom of the list working my way up towards the larger expense items, until the budget was balanced. That wiped out the zoo, city planning, and most of council.

How would you balance the budget?

 

[nfq]

you sure you got the right link?

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_ha...s-and-balance-toronto-city-hall-s-budget.html


Raise the property tax 5.6%. No cuts required. You want the services? you gotta pay. Comes out to an average $150/year increase according to the site.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Are the costs related to the subway expansions built-in to the "TTC" row on this budget?

 

[nfq]

Are the costs related to the subway expansions built-in to the "TTC" row on this budget?

That's an additional 1% added to Scarb residents, to their prop taxes.

 

[MarcosSantiago]

Mayor John Tory could not do it.
The elephant in the room is the police budget.

Two alternateives: It is either raising (property) taxes, or trimming the police budget.

 

[nfq]

Mayor John Tory could not do it.
The elephant in the room is the police budget.

Two alternateives: It is either raising (property) taxes, or trimming the police budget.

I'd like to see a (balanced?) combination of both. Something needs to change. One way or another, the crumbling infrastructure will have to be addressed.

 

[LiNK666]

Cut police, parks, internal, public library, city manager's office and privatize a lot of the city jobs.

Can't we privatize the police services to robocop?

 

[-D-]

Raising taxes is the lazy and easy way out. That will be the solution every time.

This city is based on get all you can while you can and the rest be damned.

 

[fastar1]

That's an additional 1% added to Scarb residents, to their prop taxes.

Actually it's 1.6% for the next 30 years for the whole city.

 

[fastar1]

Raising taxes is the lazy and easy way out. That will be the solution every time.

This city is based on get all you can while you can and the rest be damned.

It can be the lazy way out, but it isn't always. Sometimes taxes need to be raised for good reason. (above the rate of inflation I mean). Sometimes we can afford to lower them.

I think the overall trend has been - and will continue to be - that we can find more and more ways of doing things better in collaboration, which means pooling resources together, which means taxes.

 

[-D-]

It can be the lazy way out, but it isn't always. Sometimes taxes need to be raised for good reason. (above the rate of inflation I mean). Sometimes we can afford to lower them.

I think the overall trend has been - and will continue to be - that we can find more and more ways of doing things better in collaboration, which means pooling resources together, which means taxes.

so can we cross train the bus drivers and garbage truck drivers to do snow plowing?

 

[Baggsy]

That must be from the Star.

 

[inreb]

Raising taxes is the lazy and easy way out.

E.I. premiums and new WSIB fee structure are another form of tax now. If it works provincially why not citilly?

 

[fastar1]

so can we cross train the bus drivers and garbage truck drivers to do snow plowing?

Haha that actually makes a lot of sense!

 

[vociferous]

why do thye need 180-odd million in internal services (311 Toronto over phone, online, email, mobile app and social media)

 

[jeffjones]

Why not trim the SIU unit and replace with the Ontario court of justice?

 

[eljay]

Privatize library and zoo. Done. There's plenty more fluff in there. This is a first world problem.

 

[Shaman]

It can be the lazy way out, but it isn't always. Sometimes taxes need to be raised for good reason. (above the rate of inflation I mean). Sometimes we can afford to lower them.

There's got to be an upper limit on taxation, though. I pay at least 70% of my income directly to taxes and more once you tally up all the additional fees and indirect ones. That's already pretty damned harsh.

 

[eljay]

Oh and if you read each groups description, there's 10s of millions to go... for example, parks is buying a "custom" Toronto Island ferry for $11 million this year. With a Yosh pipe.

 

[mxs]

There's got to be an upper limit on taxation, though. I pay at least 70% of my income directly to taxes and more once you tally up all the additional fees and indirect ones. That's already pretty damned harsh.

Really?? ... no way. How does it break down? Let's say you made 100K ... what would 70K go to? .... SUV payments and mansion mortgage do not count as indirect tax related costs .... LOL

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