Peter Milobar, B.C. Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget.
“After 10 years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar, in a news release. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.”
Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.
“This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?”
Milobar noted that B.C. has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while provincial debt is projected to reach a record $182 billion this fiscal – more than triple what it was when the NDP took power.
An assault on working families and seniors
Milobar said the 2027 budget hammers working families with a $1.1 billion annual tax increase by increasing provincial income taxes on the lowest bracket and freezing the indexation of tax brackets until 2030 – a hidden hike.
He added the budget punishes seniors with the expansion of the PST to include items like landlines, cable television, and clothing repair materials; people saving money by repairing shoes or knitting yarn scarves will be subject a tax increase.
Milobar challenged the government to answer the questions British Columbians care about most:
“Does this budget make your life more affordable? Does it make your community safer? Does it make your schools and hospitals stronger?” Milobar asked. “Nearly every metric shows things in B.C. have gotten worse, not better, and instead of taking accountability, the NDP will blame everyone but themselves and shake them down to pay the bill.”
Milobar said the budget is especially punishing for small businesses that are already struggling, including a $500 million annual tax hike on professional services like accounting, bookkeeping, and private security, all of which will become subject to PST.
“Small business owners are dealing with crime and disorder in our downtowns, made worse by David Eby’s reckless decriminalization experiment,” he said. “They’re paying out of pocket for increased security because law enforcement can’t keep up with the chaos. Instead of addressing the root causes facing small businesses, the NDP is shoplifting an additional $500 million a year from them.”
The NDP government has reversed the decriminalization of drugs.
Milobar also criticized the budget for failing to address key economic sectors and public safety concerns.
“The number of key economic targets that are ‘to be determined’ in ministry services plans shows just how unserious this government really is about economic growth.”
“There’s nothing meaningful here for forestry. And the budget fails to address the crime and extortion that are hurting families and businesses across B.C.,” he said.
