PRINCE GEORGE, BC: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the British Columbia government to balance the budget and stop jacking up taxes while attacking jobs.

“This government managed to balance the budget last year by slapping job creators and cities with a new employer tax and double dipping it with the Medical Services Premium tax,” said Kris Sims, BC Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “They created the Employer Health Tax (EHT), the Speculation Tax and they jacked up the carbon tax while helping to strangle the Trans Mountain pipeline.”

The CTF presented their Taxpayer Top Five to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services session in Prince George. The panel of MLAs is travelling around the province, hearing from groups about how to best spend taxpayers’ money in next year’s budget. The CTF is one of the lone voices urging restraint at these sessions.

The CTF urged the provincial government to balance the budget, cancel the carbon tax, eliminate the EHT, open ICBC up to competition and to support the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“We already fork over more than 40 percent of our incomes in taxes and our provincial debt is climbing by $100 per second – we can’t afford to keep paying higher taxes while this government attacks jobs,” Sims added.

The provincial debt of B.C. is currently more than $66,000,000,000, that’s a $13,000 share per person.

Taxpayer Top Five:

1)    Balance the budget

2)    Cancel the carbon tax

3)    Eliminate the Employer Health Tax (EHT)

4)    Turn ICBC into a co-op and open it to competition

5)    Stop blocking the Trans Mountain pipeline

For more information:

Kris Sims,
B.C. Director 
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Cell: 604-997-1798  |  Email: [email protected]