B.C. Liberals: NDP hike taxes by $5.5 billion, break major promises

Shirley Bond

THE B.C. Liberals on Tuesday said the BC NDP have revealed that they remain committed to hiking taxes and failing to deliver on key promises. 

B.C. Liberal finance co-critic Shirley Bond said: “The BC NDP have no plan to grow the economy, no plan on how to pay for all the spending,” says “The only idea they have is hiking taxes to the tune of $5.5 billion. Since the NDP have been government they have put in place or announced $8 billion in annual taxation measures. The majority of those measures hit job creators, the very people who help grow and strengthen our economy.” 

The BC NDP promised to eliminate the MSP but never spoke about replacing it with a payroll tax that will hammer small business. As well, the NDP have increased the carbon tax and removed the revenue neutrality which means more money coming out of the pockets of the middle class who are struggling with affordability and need it most. 

“The NDP have also made clear they made many false promises during the last election. Yes, there are investments in child care but the government promised $10-a-day child care. We found out today that it doesn’t exist and it looks like it never will,” said B.C. Liberal child care critic Laurie Throness. 

“There is no relief for commuters in the Lower Mainland, except for the Pattullo Bridge which will only provide a 10 per cent capacity increase,” said B.C. Liberal finance co-critic Tracy Redies. “There is no widening of Highway 1, no Surrey rapid transit and the 80,000 daily commuters who use the George Massey Tunnel are now completely forgotten.” 

This budget has spending growing at twice the rate of government revenue growth and the fiscal plan is wholly dependent upon a growing economy. However, this plan has no measures to grow the economy to fund the NDP’s spending spree, said the B.C. Liberals. 

“If all of this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because we’ve heard this story before,” noted Bond. “Welcome back to the NDP of the 1990s and remember, the sequel is always worse.”