Hopefully, Christmas and the holiday festivities were good to everyone, because after we welcomed 2014 at midnight on Dec. 31, it was time to pay the piper.
Starting Jan. 1, 2014, hard-working, middle-income British Columbians are going to be paying more of their hard-earned cash to the federal and provincial governments.
This is happening because we – or, at least, those who went to the polls – voted for the Stephen Harper Conservatives and the Christy Clark B.C. Liberal governments in the last elections.
So, we cannot say we didn’t have a choice.
However, we can say we weren’t paying attention, and we can resolve to start asking questions and voicing our concerns.
Fortunately, we have government watchdog organizations, such as Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), crunching the numbers and raising flags, while the electorate is buying into the smoke-and-mirrors political spin and we’re being pushed around by big government.
The federal Tories told us they were freezing Employment Insurance (EI) taxes for three years, but according to the CTF’s Tax Changes Report, annual maximum EI taxes for those earning at least $48,600 are going up $23 to $914, and their employer’s share is increasing $31 to $1,279.
Some folks might think the hike is peanuts, but the Harper government is expecting to scoop in $4.2 billion more than it will pay out in benefits in 2014.
That’s a pretty big chunk of change to collectively give to the federal government, especially when we have little say in how that surplus is being spent and most Canadians won’t receive a dime of EI despite paying into the fund for decades.
The feds are also increasing the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payroll taxes by $70 to $2,426 year for folks who are making at least $52,500 a year. Employers are matching that contribution dollar for dollar.
In this province, the B.C. Liberal government is raising our Medical Services Premium (MSP) tax for the fifth straight year.
The CTF calculates a family will now pay $138.50 a month in MSP premiums, or $1,662 a year. This is a 28 per cent increase since 2010.
The B.C. Liberal government likes to portray itself as a friendly parent that isn’t raising taxes, but this government has a penchant for raising fees.
We only have to look to its approval for rate hikes for ICBC, BC Hydro and BC Ferries, which all pay huge lump sums into the provincial government’s coffers.
We will continue to be bled financially unless we ask questions and demand answers from our provincial and federal politicians.
Tell our readers what you think – write a letter to the 100 Mile House Free Press.
