It's Not That Funny When The Joke Is On US!

We'll be lining up for taxes Toronto is on its way to becoming the first Canadian city to charge to use the sidewalk

By SUE-ANN LEVY

In their ongoing quest to tax anything that moves and breathes in this city, the Millerites will officially kick off tax season at City Hall next week.

No doubt Mayor David Miller's controversial new land transfer and vehicle permit taxes will be the focus of what one can only hope will be a heated council debate -- before I suspect the two tax grabs are approved.

Trust me when I say there's more to come from City Hall's insatiable spendaholics. I predict their next move will be the public sidewalk tax.

I've said it before but I can't help repeating myself. This is the most inane tax to be dreamed up to date by one of the good socialist soldiers -- in this case Coun. Adam Vaughan.

Back in April, when Vaughan first proposed his scheme to permit, er tax, nightclubs, theatres, cultural facilities and their patrons who regularly use public sidewalks for queuing, I thought he was joking. But as I've since discovered, the joke is on us.