Party leader buying votes with taxpayer dollars, Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle

This letter was originally published in the Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle

August 21 2024

Party leader buying votes with taxpayer dollars

The tax plan United Party leader Kevin Falcon has unfurled is a master class in buying votes with the voters’ money.

Falcon’s plan would raise the earnings threshold for provincial income tax to $50,000, up from the current $11,980 evidently allowing working people to keep an additional $2,050 on average and result in 60 per cent of B.C. residents, or more than 2.4 million people, being exempt from provincial income tax. The result will be a $5.4 billion drop in government revenue.

Obviously, the working-class taxpayer – already making a significant contribution to the wealth of our province in their workplace - need and deserve a break from the burden of paying for everything but it would have been entirely possible for Falcon to provide this relief simply by taxing the rich and culling the many subsidies and breaks offered to the wealthy. And all without a catastrophic cut to services.

Sadly, this plan which claims to put $2000 back in the pockets of ordinary people will backfire spectacularly . A cut of such proportions (this amount matches almost dollar for dollar the entire budget for the K-12 public education system ) will decimate our already struggling public services. No one will see a dime of this tax break as most regular folks will be paying out of pocket privately to cover the services they no longer enjoy. And – when public services are diminished as they truly will be, this also will correspond to significant job loss – further immiserating our communities. Making the public realm smaller has always been the Holy Grail for all the mainstream parties and this is just another trick in the hat.

We pay taxes so we can secure our health, education, infrastructure, transportation, environmental needs, among others. One of the great aspects of this system is that not only does our tax revenue supply services it also provides meaningful, decently paid employment. When Tory fanatics try to win our favour by vandalising our civic decencies we must resist their siren call. Yes! many of us are struggling and yes! a tax break for the working-class taxpayer is long overdue but this is just bribery in its worst form. A few short-term dollars for a helluva short sighted outcome all at our expense.

Ask three questions: Who pays? Who gains? Who suffers?

Eden Haythornthwaite

Independent Socialist Candidate for the Cowichan Valley