Skip to content

NDP-Green alliance has also cost taxpayers

The NDP-Green alliance froze ferry fares on major routes
15104427_web1_letters-logo-1-660x440

NDP-Green alliance has also cost taxpayers

I had to smile at Mike Ward making comments on comments made by Perry Foster. The NDP-Green alliance removed tolls from two Lower Mainland bridges. The $4 billion debt will now have to be absorbed by the B.C. taxpayers in other forms of new taxes or increase taxes. What the government forgot to realize that when the tolls were in effect, tourists to B.C. also paid the bridge toll.

The NDP-Green alliance froze ferry fares on major routes, gave a 15 per cent discount on the smaller routes, and let walk on senior citizens to travel free from Monday to Thursday, yet at the same time gave all B.C. ferry workers a pay raise of 1.75 per cent all on April 1 of 2018. How reckless and foolish of the government playing with taxpayer dollars to freeze revenue and at the same time increase expenses. Why did the government not freeze wages while the fares were frozen? There are two sides to a ledger. What you do on one side has to be offset on the other side of the ledger, too.

The NDP-Green alliance are in the process of eliminating MSP premiums and with the lost revenue, are now effective in January, 2019, to charge B.C. employers a health care tax calculated on their total payroll cost. Now with the added cost, employers will have to look at other ways of keeping their expenses down. This new health employer tax will now have employers not hiring new employees, some employees getting less hours of work, and others heading to the unemployment office with a layoff slip.

Now with this new health employer tax, all municipal governments will now increase all property taxes to offset this new expense. So the taxpayer does not have to pay for MSP anymore, but instead will now pay more in property taxes. How foolish. Why didn’t the government just keep the MSP billing the same, and just lower the taxpayers’ income tax rate? With the latest huge increases on property assessments, if the municipal governments do not adjust the mill rate, get ready to pay through the nose when you write your cheques out on July 2.

The NDP-Green alliance increased the minimum wage to $12.65 on June 1, 2018. With employee benefits, of CPP, UIC, vacation pay, and WCB, the total hourly pay on behalf of the employer expense is now $17.08. All fast food outlets for example are all franchised and that means that all franchises will have to absorb these extras costs out of their own bottom line revenue because corporate does not allow these franchises to increase their pricing, and the employees will have to suffer for it. Also customers do not enjoy paying more for their food purchase.

The NDP-Green alliance have eliminated, effective Jan. 1, 2019, all pharmacare deductibles for taxpayers with annual incomes of $30,000 and under, a prorated discount for taxpayers with annual incomes of $45,000 and under. Once again, lost revenue which will have to be absorbed by the taxpayer in other forms of taxes.

Mike says that he disapproves of Site C and LNG. Site C power is not required today, but the estimated completion date of the project is 2024, and by then the extra power will be required. Presently 3,700 employees are working on the Site C project. A guaranteed construction job for another five years.

LNG will become B.C. Hydro’s third largest customer in B.C. and the additional funds that will come from LNG to the B.C. government could eventually tally to see B.C. eliminate the B.C. provincial sales tax, something that no one would disapprove of, and if they did, they would have to have their brains examined. The $40 billion LNG investment for the Kitimat, B.C. terminal will have 10,000 workers employed per year for three years according to the B.C. trades council.

Mike says that the NDP-Green alliance is trying to put a stop to an increase in oil tanker traffic, yet the alliance fails to ever mention that with the increased tanker traffic, all tankers will be doubled hull and each tanker will have four tugboats escorting the tankers out to the open ocean.

Mike says that the NDP-Green alliance has brought in the start of subsidized daycare, yet Quebec was the first province to bring in subsidized day care which started at $300 million per year, and presently is costing the government $2.6 billion per year, a 700 per cent cost increase since the day of start up. Unbelievable!

Joe Sawchuk

Duncan