Re: “Liberal claims just as shady as NDP”, (Citizen, Aug. 26) and “Let’s look at the wasted Liberal dollars”, (Citizen, Aug. 31).
Phil quotes, “He suggests that claiming for mileage reimbursements are not allowed”. Mileage reimbursements are an allowable expense as long as the expense applies to anywhere outside of the MLA’s home constituency.
Phil quotes, “$330 million set aside to forgive up to 75 per cent of mining industry power bills.” “Forgive” is complete hogwash and propaganda. If Phil would do his research before making his bogus comment, he would have seen that 75 per cent, $330 million in deferred payments, is a two-year program and at the end of the program, payments must begin on the deferred payment program with a. eight to 12 per cent interest rate, applied to the outstanding deferred balance. This deferred program is not a freebie on behalf of the B.C. taxpayers.
Even the previous NDP Manitoba government did such a similar program with its industry customers. Manitoba NDP hydro says it is committed to working with it’s business customers to keep taxpayers working. If they did not do a deferral program, then there would be employee layoffs. The same in B.C.
If Phil wants to know about freebies on behalf of taxpayers, take a look at the previous NDP Nova Scotia provincial government. Forgivable non repayable loans of $260 million for shipbuilding, $21 million to a U.S. company to operate a ferry, $9 million to a fish farm, $66.5 million to a pulp mill company that still closed the mill, and $25 million to an agriculture farm. Maybe these taxpayers freebies are the result for the Nova Scotia NDP government going from 31 seats to 7 seats in the last provincial election and even the NDP premier losing his seat.
In summary, the hydro deferred plan program was to ease the financial strain on the industry bank account, keep employees working, and the total balance to paid back with interest.
Letter writer Harry Mayor says that Premier Christy Clark spends a lot of taxpayer dollars on airfare expense. Keith Baldrey, B.C. legislature reporter for Global News did his own research. His findings were, on average, Christy Clark spends $67,500 per year on airfare expense, former B.C. Liberal premier Gordon Campbell, $65,000 on airfare expense, and former B.C. NDP premier Glen Clark, $110,000 per year.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan
