PETERS: Suggesting wealthy people get more voting power is wrong – and un-Canadian

People living in poverty, who make so little they don’t pay any income tax at all, would not get to vote at all.

Same goes for pensioners, who he calls state dependents. Lutke says only people with a stake in the future should get to vote.

Wealthy folks would get one extra vote per $100,000 they pay in income tax, capped at a maximum of five per person.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, of course, guarantees all adult Canadians the right to vote, so unless he mounts a charter case, this is dead in the water.

Even so, Lutke’s idea — while borderline sociopathic — is the logical end to an argument we often hear at the local level.

This argument is made by the folks who insist on reminding everyone within earshot of their status as taxpayers. Because they are taxpayers – property tax, particularly – their voice should matter more than those who don’t pay taxes.

Once again, those who don’t pay property tax are typically either in a lower income bracket or are renters.

Should they not have a say in the decisions that are made in our community? Should their opinions be made to carry less weight?

That’s not how our system works.

If a renter wants to weigh in on infrastructure and amenities in their neighbourhood, they should get to do that in equal voice to their landlord.

If a low income individual has an opinion on their community’s approach to public safety, that should count just as much as anyone else’s opinion.

It’s one person, one vote.

Tobi Lutke’s proposal to tilt the scales even more in favour of the wealthy proves one thing – the more money one acquires, the further out of touch one gets with reality.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by James Peters

PETERS: Suggesting wealthy people get more voting power is wrong – and un-Canadian

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