I believe it was W.A.C. Bennett who said: “This bunch couldn’t run a hot dog stand.”
I give you the B.C. Speculation and Vacancy Act.
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To escape this reverse tax, all owners of a house must apply for the exemption no matter if one is incapacitated or not. In addition you must provide your address (which seems reasonable) and your Social Insurance Number (SIN) for identification.
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Aye, there’s the rub. Your SIN is for income tax purposes, not for any petty bureaucrat who has spare snooping time on their hands.
Service Canada states clearly: “You do not have to provide your SIN when proving your identity, [and] never use your SIN card as a piece of identification.”
Has the B.C. Government created a new law to intrude on the privacy of individuals by taking access to SIN? To what purpose; tracking individuals and their finances or even more nefarious goals?
Next will there be SIN disclosure for driving licences, liquor purchases, hotel stays?
Given an inch and taking a mile is all too easy for a lazy government in the thrall of bureaucrats who they will not question (and given recent events) will not control.
The result, of course, is you will be forced to pay this ridiculous, reverse tax.
Following standard procedure, I contacted my local MLA thinking Rob Fleming might be concerned about a possible breach of law.
The reply from his staff confirmed my confidence in this government and its level of research.
They stated the government already collects SIN and other personal information without explaining in what context and what is done with it. Then the moaning began about the old government and listing the world’s ills, but not addressing the apparent abuse of power.
It seems the new government wants your SIN and personal information for tackling the housing crisis head-on.
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This dedication and scrutiny of a government functionary leaves one with diminished hope that they will be tackling anything head-on, let alone fixing it.
Patrick Murphy
Victoria