BC: Balance the Budget, Kill the Carbon Tax

• CTF presents budget recommendations to B.C. government

PARKSVILLE, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today presented its 2013-14 budget recommendations, titled Blueprint for a Balanced Budget, to the B.C. government’s Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.
The 28-page document, available here, makes 14 recommendations to help the B.C. government keep its promise to balance B.C.’s books next year.
“Balancing the budget is vitally important,” said Jordan Bateman, B.C. Director of the CTF. “To ensure B.C.’s long-term economic viability, we have to quit living on borrowed money year after year. Balancing our books this year would give us an advantage over provinces and states competing with us for investment and jobs.”
CTF recommendations include:

• Killing the carbon tax and Pacific Carbon Trust;
• Negotiating a better deal on Equalization;
• Reducing the power Crown corporation’s hold over possible competitors; and
• Launching a health care core services review.

Another area of concern is wage creep, which the government’s net zero bargaining philosophy has slowed at the provincial level, but which is continuing unabated municipally. The CTF recommends both a Compensation Equity Act, which would tie government salaries to private sector comparables, and including local governments in provincial bargaining mandates.  “Net zero saved B.C. taxpayers $3 billion, but city halls failed to follow the Province’s example and kept increasing their pay scales—and property taxes,” said Bateman. “The provincial government should consider including local government in their bargaining mandates, as generous city hall settlements ratchet up pressure on senior governments to match.” The CTF’s full budget submission (in PDF) can be found here.