By Greg Fry

Kamloops MLAs blast ‘tax and spend’ NDP budget

Feb 20, 2018 | 1:56 PM

VICTORIA  — Kamloops BC Liberal MLAs Todd Stone (Kamloops-South Thompson) and Peter Milobar (Kamloops-North Thompson) have taken aim at what they’re calling a “tax and spend” NDP budget — their first full budget since 2001.

“It’s disappointing, not shocking, that it was a tax and spend budget,” says Milobar. “But certainly disappointing. I think people will see that disappointment grow as they realize most of the promises are not actually going to happen this year and that there’s another $5.5 billion dollars in tax hikes which now means since the NDP has taken office seven months ago they’ve increased taxes to the tune of about $8 billion dollars.”

He’s also taken aim at the NDP’s pledge to officially eliminate MSP premiums by Jan. 1, 2020.

“I think there’s a bit of a disingenuous marketing plan going on right now. People will be happy to hear MSP premiums will be eliminated when, in fact, they’ve been pushed over to a new payroll tax which will cost small business owners around $2 billion dollars a year to make up that shortcoming.”

Neighouring MLA Todd Stone went a step further in trashing the “tax and spend budget” calling it “an absolute assault on job creation in B.C. and on the wallets of British Columbians.”

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“This is not how your ensure that our economy continues to grow. Our job now is to hold this government to account for sliding back into their traditional NDP ways which is to tax and spend and tax and spend and ultimately I fear the budget is the beginning of an effort to drive our economy into the ditch.”

He also says the budget doesn’t contain much for Kamloopsians.

“There’s no mention of school capital for School District 73 or for capital to accelerate projects for the Trans Canada Highway. No $10-a-day daycare either.”

Though the budget pledges $2 billion dollars for capital spending “to maintain, replace, renovate or expand K-12 facilities,” he says the school district was not singled out in budget documents.

Stone says he and Milobar plan to raise the issue as the spring session of the legislature continues.