The B.C. Liberal government announced its 2015 budget on Feb. 17 and Finance Minister Mike de Jong noted it was the third consecutive balanced budget his government has put together in the past three years.
British Columbia may be the only province in the country to have a balanced budget this year.
The budget was not only balanced, it also included a healthy surplus – almost $1 billion, and de Jong is expecting larger surpluses for the next three years.
During these tough economic times, people are struggling and Premier Christy Clark and her government decided to share the wealth with folks who need some help.
Starting Sept. 1, the government will stop clawing back child support payments from single parents who are trying to live on income assistance or disability payments for the next three years. It is expected to cost $32 million over that time period.
It’s good news for these folks, but, in reality, much of that funding is what has been clawed back from them in the first place.
Premier Clark is making a lot of warm and fuzzy funding announcements that won’t put much of dent in our $1-billion surplus.
We say “our” surplus because it really is our money.
It was raised by picking our pockets and taking our hard-earned dollars through massive increases in premiums and fees.
We continue to pay more for MSP, hydro, ICBC, bridge tolls, park fees and ferry rates.
MSP premiums are going up another four per cent, and have increased by 33 per cent since 2009.
We are paying higher ICBC premiums and BC Hydro rates, which are cash cows for the provincial government.
It’s costing us an arm and a leg to supply the Christy Clark government’s general coffers – it takes healthy dividends from the Crown corporations every year.
And we’re not talking peanuts here.
Over the next three years, the B.C. Liberal government is taking $160 million a year from ICBC.
We’re told that money is coming from the investment side of the corporation’s ledger and that’s why our provincially elected officials can’t reduce our ICBC premiums that continue climbing at an alarming rate.
However, BC Hydro is even more lucrative for the Christy Clark crew.
So, over the next three years, government is taking $466 million, $500 million and $520 million respectively.
We have to remember this is money that is coming out of the family budgets in just about every home in the province.
It’s a nice chunk of change for the politicians in Victoria to play with and these surpluses are being built on the backs of British Columbians.
It’s like leechcraft; we’re being bled slowly but surely.
