02/02/2017
According to a leaked secret strategy document, John Horgan and the NDP are planning to sell out BC’s best interests and jack up the carbon tax on families and businesses.
Horgan is scheming to hike the carbon tax by $20 by 2022 – and use this crash grab for NDP pet projects, like making Northern and Interior residents pay for transit in the Lower Mainland.
“We believe British Columbians are taxed more than enough already – that’s why we return every penny of the current carbon tax by cutting taxes for the middle class and small business, which the NDP are saying they would scrap,” said environment minister Mary P***k. “Our Premier stood up for BC to make sure that somebody in Terrace won’t pay more carbon tax at the pump than someone in Toronto. John Horgan and the NDP are waving the white flag and promising to hike the carbon tax to spend on reckless schemes.”
While BC’s current Climate Leadership Plan sets a course to reduce emissions 80% from 2007 levels by 2050, the NDP’s plan would increase taxes and raise prices on consumer goods, without any clear impact on emissions.
Since it was first introduced in 2008, BC’s carbon tax has returned $8.9 billion to taxpayers — resulting in the lowest middle class taxes in Canada and direct supports for those on low incomes and those living in rural and Northern BC.
“BC is already leading the way globally with our revenue neutral carbon tax,” P***k added. “The NDP’s scheme for a massive tax increase will put British Columbians out of work in our resource and transportation industries, and raise the price of everything that moves by truck – from milk to lettuce to diapers – taking more money out of families’ pockets.”
The NDP’s scheme seeks to fool British Columbians with a cynical shell game – promising a so-called rebate cheque with one hand while taking away middle class tax cuts with the other to pay for their schemes.
Ironically, the NDP has previously criticized climate rebate cheques, saying: “it’s like putting lipstick on a pig,” (Carole James, The Daily Bulletin, September 26, 2008) and “it’s absolutely so trivialized and inadequate to really address the issues that families need that it just makes family angry,” (NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis, Black Press, May 27, 2008).
“John Horgan is running so scared of Andrew Weaver and the Greens, he’s introduced this damaging climate scheme instead of coming up with a jobs plan,” P***k said. “As usual, John Horgan is trying to be all things to all people – and as usual, his promises just don’t add up.”
