Reaction to Budget 2018 from the opposition Liberals is lukewarm.
Shuswap and Vernon-Monashee Liberal MLAs Greg Kyllo and Eric Foster both expressed concern over Carole James’ NDP budget released Tuesday.
“I have to look very carefully at the negative impact the budget will have on the competitiveness of B.C. business,” said Kyllo, Liberal critic on jobs, trade and technology.
Of particular concern was the NDP’s proposed new employer health tax in 2019 that will allow for the full elimination of MSP premiums in 2020.
“In 2019, the NDP will roll on over $1 billion in taxes but that’s before the MSP premiums are eliminated,” he said.
Foster said he was “not thrilled” by the budget.
“On the surface, it looks good with such things as lots of money for child care and things, but when you dig into it, there’s an increase in taxes to pay for it all,” he said. “There’s a couple of ways to pay off bills: raise taxes or go into debt. The NDP, in its balanced budget, has created an additional $8 billion in taxes.”
Budget 2018, said James, “carves a new path to shared prosperity for everyone in the province with a made-in-B.C. child-care plan, a comprehensive housing plan and record levels of capital investment in every corner of the province.
“Budgets are not only about the bottom line, they should be about people. That’s why British Columbians are at the centre of every choice we have made in Budget 2018,” said James. “These include historic investments in child care and affordable housing that will be felt for generations.”
Over three years, an investment of more than $1 billion will set the province on the path to a universal child-care plan that will make child care affordable for parents and caregivers, create more than 22,000 child-care spaces throughout the province and ensure those spaces meet rigorous quality and safety standards.
Budget 2018 also lays out a comprehensive housing plan that introduces new taxation measures to tackle foreign and domestic speculation, to close loopholes and crack down on tax fraud, and to stabilize housing prices.
It invests more than $1.6 billion over three years to build and maintain affordable rental housing, help finance student housing, increase rental assistance for low-income seniors and working families, and provide supportive housing for at-risk British Columbians.
