By Cheryl Jahn

Area’s Two MLAs Concerned Over Budget Spending

Feb 20, 2018 | 3:16 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The area’s two MLA’s are raising some concerns over the provincial budget, released today, especially when it comes to spending.

“This is a budget that has delivered a lot of initiatives,” says Shirley Bond, BC’s Finance Critic. “The concern that we have is that when you look at the rate of spending, the spending growth rate is significantly more than the revenue-generation side of the equation. Significant concerns about the sustainability of this budget concerns that there seems to be very little attention being paid to where that revenue is going to come from other than tax increases.”

The budget also hurts the business community with things like eliminating the MSP premiums. 

“The very people who are being expected to grow the economy and create jobs in the province, they’re the ones being the hardest hit by this budget.”

Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris also has concerns over the spending, in light of predictions for the resource sector.

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“The Economic Forecast Council is predicting the economy to shrink over the next few years. Natural resources revenues are going to shrink over the next few years, there’s a lot of uncertainty around interest rates, our softwood agreement is up in the air, NAFTA’s up in the air. There’as a whole host of things that would cause most reasonable people to be more prudent in their spending. But obviously, the NDP missed the boat on this one.”

Bond also raised concerns over the carbon tax. The budget sets out the following:

“Starting April 1, 2018, we will increase the carbon tax rate by $5 per tonne of CO2 each year, reaching $50 per tonne in April 2021. And to help families that need it, we are increasing the climate action tax credit by an additional $40 million. Additional relief will be provided in future years as the carbon tax increases.”

Bond says that means the carbon tax will no longer be revenue neutral.