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Letter: Fraser-Nicola MLA slams NDP budget

Well, the highly anticipated full NDP budget has finally come out. I know many British Columbians were interested in seeing what this new government had in store for our province.
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Well, the highly anticipated full NDP budget has finally come out. I know many British Columbians were interested in seeing what this new government had in store for our province.

This was the NDP’s first attempt at a full budget, and an opportune moment to fulfill their campaign promises. Much to the dismay of many of their supporters, major budget items like $10 daycare, the $400 renters’ rebate, eliminating student loan interest and the 114,000 new affordable housing units were either absent or severely diminished.

Sadly, the one thing that stands out and should frustrate a lot of British Columbians, is the fact that taxes are going up across the board. For many, this is a flashback to the 1990s, where the NDP’s endless taxes and aggressive spending drove British Columbia’s economy from first to last place in the country.

Since taking office, the NDP have or plan to increase taxes by $8 billion dollars. There is a $5.5 billion dollar increase in this budget alone.

If you are a business owner you can look forward to the MSP replacement tax which will make it incrementally more expensive to hire more employees. Additionally, in 2019, the NDP have also opted to implement the payroll-tax before the MSP premiums have been phased out, charging businesses twice.

British Columbia is in a position where we should be encouraging our small businesses and entrepreneurs to expand and succeed, not snuff them out with a tidal wave of taxation. It was incredibly disappointing to see the utter lack of support from the NDP for those who have helped grow our province into the powerhouse that it is today.

You deserve better, British Columbia deserves better.

Jackie Tegart

MLA Fraser-Nicola