November 15, 2011
WHICH TAXES WILL NDP INCREASE?

VICTORIA - With the NDP finally confirming support for a balanced budget in 2013/14, Adrian Dix now needs to tell British Columbians how much he would raise their taxes.
 
"Every time Adrian Dix and the NDP stand up they make promises of additional funding for all and sundry," says Chilliwack MLA John Les. "Well, it's time for Adrian Dix to say where all that money is going to come from. If he's serious about balancing the budget, then he's going to have do what the NDP do most frequently - tax, tax and tax."

Les made his comments after the BC NDP members of the Select Standing Committee on Finance agreed to reaffirm the commitment to balance the provincial budget by the 2013/14 fiscal year and keep a debt to GDP ratio of under 20 per cent.

"As a government, we're taking a balanced approach that provides services for British Columbians while maintaining our fiscal prudence," says Les. "We see example after example of what happens when jurisdictions overspend and BC is not going down that path. Adrian Dix is out writing cheques that British Columbians can't afford to cash."

"There's only one way for him to pay for all his promises and that's to take more money directly out of taxpayer’s pockets through tax hikes."

As an example, Dix has refused to take a stand on budget negotiations with the BCTF, whose proposals would cost billions. If he’s serious about balancing the budget will he support the net zero mandate?

Dix’s refusal to back up his support for balanced budgets with an actual plan to pay for his promises demonstrates this is the same old NDP. They had five debt management plans in the 1990s and missed every target set out in those plans.  As well, he has already publically committed to reintroducing the corporate capital tax and increasing the general corporate tax rates; nowhere does he acknowledge the negative economic fallout that would result from these decisions.

“British Columbians couldn’t trust them with their money then and they can’t trust them now,” says Les. 

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