Taxes and death are the only absolute certainties in life. It's clichÈ, but true.
Nobody likes to pay taxes ó it's always disheartening to see one's gross income compared to one's net take home.
But it's safe to say most of us ó if not all ó like roads and bridges, hospitals, emergency services, schools, water and wastewater services, garbage pickup and so on. And once the infrastructure we want is built, it must be maintained.
That all comes with a cost.
Governments at all levels should be expected to make the most out of every tax dollar.
Unfortunately, inflation is inevitable.
Consumers are not the only ones impacted by rising costs. So are governments.
Although governments should not depend simply on increasing taxes to bring in desperately needed revenue, it is undoubtedly a major part of the equation.
The Town of Sundre council finds itself in this age-old conundrum ó to increase taxes, or not to.
In December of 2014, council passed its first two-year budget for 2015-16 in the hopes of establishing stability not just for the town's administration, but also for businesses and residents, who will know well in advance what's coming down the line and can thus plan accordingly.
At the time, a tax increase of about 1.9 per cent was budgeted for 2016. But that rate was set before the world economy took a turn for the worse. The plummeting price of oil, the depreciated loonie and increased cost of groceries, as well as the thousands of lost jobs in the oil and gas sector, were not something council could possibly have foreseen.
So during its Jan. 18 meeting, council had an unofficial discussion on whether to reduce the approved 1.9 per cent increase to zero.
However, several other revenues in the 2016 budget are also facing some shortfalls, and administrative staff cautioned council against further reducing the town's income.
Nevertheless, Mayor Terry Leslie, who was unable to attend the meeting, prepared a written statement that was read by Coun. Jodi Orr. The mayor challenged administration staff to find two per cent efficiencies within the budget so council could drop its anticipated 2016 tax increase to zero per cent.
Economic growth must continue, and not increasing taxes would be welcome news to businesses, seniors, families and anyone who pays taxes. Council cannot control world events, but it can control taxes, he wrote.
But Coun. Chris Vardas, who chaired the meeting in Leslie's absence, cautioned council against such a move.
"Whenever we hold back on something today, we pay for it tomorrow," he said.
As a business owner, Vardas said he doesn't want to see a tax increase any more than anyone else.
"But at the end of the day, there will be an increase and there has to be an increase to sustain ourselves."
The councillor has a point.
We don't have to like paying taxes, but we should be proud to know we all pitch in to make our community the best it can be.
