I see the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce is praising the Clark government’s election budget.
One good thing is the bottom wage earners will be paying less for health care premiums.
We are the only province to charge these premiums to start with and if you are lucky, your employer might already pay these premiums as a benefit.
For the low wage earner, this is a huge benefit but why now? Why not 16 years ago when they came into power? Instead, for 16 years, they raised the premiums for health care to the current rate. This cut will cost the B.C. taxpayer about $850 million.
But these savings will not come into effect until December 2017. This means the $850 million will still be in this budget to pay for election goodies for you and earn the chamber’s praise. How will the next budget make up for this short fall of $850 million? Will they cut ministries’ budgets again?
Or is it time for a government that is not afraid to raise taxes on those who can afford it and drop taxes on those who can not.
This would be a small part in slowing the growing wage disparity.
The chamber might be praising this election budget, but most informed citizens are shaking their heads and wondering how it will be paid for?
Will it be off of the backs of the working person and the poor, or raising taxes to those who can afford it? It is time to elect a B.C. government that helps the working citizens and those less fortunate.
Chuck Johnson
Vernon
