Monday, September 28, 2009

Importance of our Tax Dollars

Have you ever wondered what the city of Calgary spends your money on? Do you feel like the more you search for reasons in the cities spending, the more ludicrous their decisions seem. Here at MRU, we understand and sympathize with you: the average consumer. After all, you are the backbone to our city, the framework to our economy, and the lifeblood of our culture. In short, you deserve respect, and we're going to give it to you. In circumstances like these, with the recent downturn of the economy, it is especially vital for you to know to exactly where your money is going. Everyone has questions when we hear of the city planning a new project that uses taxpayer's dollars. It is normal for you to wonder if it is a good plan and a good use of money. With the status of the economy, we have to ask will a new facility, or bus route, or whatever else is being planned be of true value to a city in the midst of an economic recession. Throughout the course of the next couple of months, as a group, we will be finding all the new and upcoming projects that the city plans to spend our money on. We will also examine exactly how Calgary's municipal government chooses to spend our money in this challenging economy, and how citizens view these choices. Examples of issues that we will be looking at are the city's plan for East Village, as well as a new arena for the Calgary Flames. As a group, we will be actively searching the news for plans for our tax dollars, and summarizing the information we gather into a blog. Our money matters and it is important to know exactly where and how the city of Calgary plans to distribute our tax dollars.