"BC Liberals Todd Stone and Terry Lake, and New Democrats Kathy Kendall and Tom Friedman, are all welcome to campaign with the slogan 'we'll spend more and tax you more"

Today the BC New Democrats Finance Critic, Bruce Ralston, rolled out the party's election campaign budget.  A plan that will see increased taxes, and deficit budgets for at least three years.
Said BC Conservative Party Kamloops South Thompson candidate Peter Sharp, "They have indicated they not only plan to increase corporate taxes, their plan also includes an attack on individual British Columbians.""Their plan" he continued, "Will add a further 2.2% on personal income taxes for the so-called wealthy."

Calls by BC Conservative for 'smarter spending', rather than more spending, seem to have fallen on deaf ears.Said Sharp, "I have already been informed that right now -- today -- people are looking at their options in terms of where they plan to live in the very near future."

"The BC Liberals put in their 2013 budget (which passed in the legislature on March 5th), that they are going to increase the tax on incomes over $150,000 by 2.1% in 2014."

"This is not just a platform plank of the BC Liberals.", continued Sharp, "It's law.  And now we have the provincial New Democrats announcing a tax increase of 2.2%." "I am already hearing, from reliable sources, that people right here in Kamloops are seeing their accountants to see how much lower taxes would be in Alberta.  That's because of the 2.1% increase the BC Liberals have already approved -- never mind the even higher increase Ralston is proposing under the New Democrats."

Currently, on incomes over $135,000, the top tax rate is 43.7%. This new increase would make the top rate 46.8% on incomes over $150,000. By comparison, the top rate in Alberta is 39%. The closer you get to 50% marginal tax rates, the more people are going to start running away from BC."Let me say as plainly as I possibly can, 'Neither the NDP, or the BC Liberals, should be in control of the public purse strings'."

Like Big Bird says: "One of these things just doesn't belong"

Big Bird, "One of these things is not like the other"

John Les, soon to be retired BC Liberal MLA, and former Minister of Small Business & Economic Development and Minister of Public Safety & Solicitor-General, spoke over the weekend to the financial well-being of British Columbia, under the Liberal government of Christy Clark.

Les stated, "British Columbians really don't want more debt.  I think at the end of the day they are going to choose the BC Liberal policies of balancing the budget, and keeping our spending under control."

He went on to say, "They (the NDP) would spend a lot more money, as government, than we have.  Now it's not easy to keep your spending under control ... it's also extremely important to keep your spending under control ... that's what we've been doing."

BC Liberals say the budget over the next three years will be balanced, and yet the estimated Total Provincial Debt for 2013 / 14 will be $62,689 billion --- that will rise to $69,428 by 2015/ 16 (see official BC Fiscal and Debt Summary). 

On the weekend I happened to have a chance to hear the opening remarks of Michael Campbell, from the program Money Talks. What he had to say really caught my attention.

Michael Campbell ("Money Talks" - April 6th, 2013)
"While it is our obligation to pay taxes, is there any obligation for governments to spend the money efficiently? We have a lot who don't think that's the case."

Now as I say, those words caught my attention.  That's because while the BC Liberal government is forecasting a SURPLUS budget this year of $197 million dollars, we're NOT hearing a word from them about the fact our total provincial debt will be rising to $62,689 BILLION dollars!

That's keeping spending under control?

British Columbians must indeed be wondering about the so-called 'under control spending' brought up by John Les on Saturday afternoon, as well as these additional words he had to say:

Can anyone explain -- in a way that is logical and can be understood by taxpayers -- how BC Liberal voodoo math works

The BC Liberals say the budget over the next three years will be balanced, and yet the estimated Total Provincial Debt for 2013 / 14 will be $62,689 billion, and that will rise to $69,428 by 2015/ 16 (see official BC Fiscal and Debt Summary) 

Taxpayer supported interest on the Provincial costs us 4.1 cents of every dollar the government earns.  That will rise to 4.2 cents in 2014 / 15 ... and increase again to 4.3 cents in 2015 / 16. 

The BC Liberal government is forecasting a SURPLUS budget this year of $197 million dollars --- that while at the same time being very quiet about the fact the total provincial debt will be rising to $62.689 BILLION dollars. 

For the following year, they indicated they would have a SURPLUS budget of $211 million dollars -- meantime the total debt, taxpayers are on the hook for, stand at $66,548 BILLION dollars. 

Hold on now ... don't get ahead of me.

And for the budget year 2015 / 2016 the BC Liberals (just two months ago) told us the could bring in a budget SURPLUS of $460 million --- BUT again the total debt shows another increase, this time to $69,428 BILLION.  

So let's see if I have this straight:

The BC Liberals say not only would they balance the budget over each of the next 3 years, they will also run budget surpluses.  

 

While they do this, the amount of money being paid from government revenue, to cover interest payments on the debt will rise from 4.1 cents per dollar, to $4.3 cents per dollar.
   

And the amount of the debt will also rise over the three years by another $7 billion dollars.  

Can anyone explain -- in a way that is logical and can be understood by taxpayers -- how BC Liberal voodoo math works.  

Let's 'stay sharp' Kamloops. 

I'm Peter Sharp -- I'm a BC Conservative -- and I Believe in BC!

We will spend less than projected revenues, and we will do it protecting the three cores services; Health Care, Education, and Social Services

SHARP:  We will spend less than projected revenues, and we will do it protecting the three core services; Health Care, Education, and Social Services 

For Immediate Release:  March 6th, 2013

KAMLOOPS:  Meeting with over two dozen members of the news media yesterday in Vancouver, BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins announced a major plank in the 2013 Election platform; the parties Budgetand Fiscal Framework for the next 5 years.  

 

Kamloops South Thompson BC Conservative party candidate Peter Sharp, commenting on the plan, stated:

"Our budget outline is the framework we will be taking in to the elections.  It is one based on economic growth expected by Central One Credit Union; these are not numbers we have cherry picked from someone favorable to our party." 

 

Sharp continued:
"In our 5 year plan, we will spend less than our projected government revenues -- and we will do it protecting the three cores services we as BC Conservatives -- and all British Columbians -- want to see maintained; Health Care, Education, and Social Services.  Each will have increased financial resources and budgets over the term of this 5 year fiscal framework."

 

The BC Liberals have thrown up their hands and said things are bad so we'll just go ahead and spend money anyway.  They have not done what is needed to give the provinces visionaries the spark to create, and go ahead with, the jobs we need to really get the economy going. 

 

"We need to create an environment where our children, the next generation of business leaders, can begin to create more wealth and revenue for the provinces -- and to give the people of BC REAL jobs they can earn a good living at." 

 

BC Conservatives will be looking for efficiencies in government and it's ministries ... there are savings to be found without cutting front-line workers as the BC Liberals have down during their term in office.  

 

"Efficiencies are there, and government and its' ministries don't have to look hard to find them", stated Sharp. 

BC Conservatives will release their election-platform Budget and Fiscal Framework

STAY TUNED ... I am delighted to let you know that the BC Conservative Party will unveil "the most comprehensive, detailed" pre-election budget framework in provincial history. It takes place next Tuesday --- see the following:


LANGLEY, BC, MAR. 1, 2013 - The BC Conservatives will release their election-platform Budget and Fiscal Framework, for the years 2013 /14 through to 2017 /18, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, on Tuesday, March 5, at 10:30 am.

The Budget Framework provides an extremely detailed projection of government revenues and expenditures under a BC Conservative government. It also fulfills the BC Conservatives' long-standing pledge to repeal the Carbon Tax.

Moreover, unlike the recent BC Liberal Budget, which covers just a three-year period, the BC Conservatives' five-year plan extends through to the 2017 general election - thereby covering the entire mandate of the next provincial government.

"This is the most-comprehensive and detailed election-platform Budget Framework ever seen in British Columbia," said party leader, John Cummins. "We promised that we would present voters with a fully-costed platform - and we've delivered.

I will have more on this following the announcement on Tuesday ... Peter Sharp