- YES campaign still hiding funders
VANCOUVER, B.C.: With voting in the TransLink tax plebiscite set to begin Monday, the No TransLink Tax campaign released its list of donors today – and called on the YES side to stop hiding their funders and amount of taxpayer dollars being used to fund their campaign.
TransLink Mayors have refused to disclose exactly how much taxpayer money they are spending on the YES campaign. The Mayors’ campaign is getting substantial support, estimated at $7 million, from TransLink and all 19 supporting municipalities.
Further, the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition has refused to identify its donors. The Coalition has also refused to disclose how much money they are receiving from member groups that often collect government funding, and whether any direct taxpayer-funded resources are going to their campaign.
“The YES side is spending so much taxpayer money they can’t even provide a full accounting of it,” said Hamish Marshall, No TransLink Tax campaign manager. “Taxpayers deserve to know how precisely much of their money the YES side is spending, and who else is funding their tax grab campaign.”
Due to the plebiscite rules brought in by the provincial government, there is no legal requirement for campaigns to disclose funders. In the interest of transparency, the No TransLink Tax campaign has proactively released the names of all donors over $200, and a breakdown of smaller donations.
For a full list of No TransLink Tax campaign donors, click HERE.