Merritt Mayor withholding tax from Province

Very interesting approach. It's certainly a way to keep pressure where it belongs, on the Prov govt. He is urging other Mayors to follow suit. The rational is - we pay the province for services every year, and we aren’t getting the services we pay for. Sound argument from that position. Within some other municipalities they are taking the flip approach and building clinics with community $ and donations, which could take pressure off the Prov and Feds. NOTE :This is not the same as Community Health Centres (CHC) approved through the Provincial Government programs.

Community and municipal level financial support in the form of buildings or free incentives may be helpful for attracting medical professional. BUT it also runs a risk of taking the pressure off provincial and federal govts to own and address this problem.

Furthermore, residents of BC are struggling with affordability so to ask them to donate or pay more in taxes to improve health care seems absurd before addressing the mismanagement of funds at the provincial level.

The HC system cannot be fixed from the bottom up. We need to fix the issues with the CHA, the provincial spending, and the provincial priorities, which will have a trickle-down effect. To work from the bottom up we will waste more money than ever before.

What are your thoughts?

Watch the news report - https://globalnews.ca/news/9998396/merritt-mayor-plans-to-withhold-tax-funds-from-province-amid-temporary-er-closures/