“David Eby is creating panic and uncertainty. Eby can’t control American tariffs, but he’s keeping BC in the dark about the carbon tax and his so-called middle-class tax cut.” ~~ Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre, and Official Opposition Finance Critic
Workers
and families in British Columbia are going to bed under a cloud of
uncertainty
after Premier David Eby released a grim new economic forecast and
provided no answers on the carbon tax and the middle-class tax cut he promised
just 99 days ago.
“During the election, the premier criticized
the Conservatives for being too cautious,” said Peter Milobar,
Conservative MLA for Kamloops Centre and Official Opposition Finance
Critic.
“David Eby mocked Conservative plans to deliver
realistic tax relief over the next three years. Instead, he promised a
$6,000 tax cut for a family of three adults renting a three-bedroom in
Richmond. Instead, it looks like British Columbians will have to settle
for no support from a government that has
made disappointing British Columbians a bad habit.”
Milobar noted that the deficit has grown by $1.5 billion since the budget last spring, to a record $9.4 billion.
“BC is in the weakest financial position
in history,” said Milobar. “David Eby is now telling us that the
threatened tariffs from the United States would create two consecutive
years of recession and cost 124,000 jobs by 2028.
He’s left us totally unprepared for this crisis.”
Milobar said the Premier’s silence on the scheduled 3-cent-litre increase in the carbon tax also threatens jobs.
“Everybody seems to understand that a carbon
tax increase will kill jobs,” said Milobar. “Everybody, from Jagmeet
Singh to Chrystia Freeland, to Mark Carney. Only David Eby and Justin
Trudeau seem fixated on raising the carbon tax
on April 1st.”
Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for
Kelowna - Mission and Official Opposition Critic for Jobs, Economic
Development and Innovation, said the Premier’s direction to Finance
Minister Brenda Bailey was so disjointed and incoherent that it
is likely to discourage investment.
“After 7 years delivering zero private
sector job growth, increased uncertainty for capital investment, rock
bottom business confidence, and massive government bloat, David Eby is
directing his NDP cabinet to do the opposite,” said
Dew.
“He has rewarded failure by appointing a
Finance Minister who, as Jobs Minister, oversaw an era of private sector
stagnation and virtually zero job growth. He has replaced her with a
new Jobs minister who doesn’t seem to understand
that government red tape hampers investment."
"If you want proof of just how disconnected
from reality the NDP’s economic brain trust is, they just tried to run
an end-of-year victory lap after 2024 saw them add 13,000 public sector
jobs and lose more than 6,000 private sector
jobs," Dew added.
Dew concluded, "David Eby has new talking
points, but that doesn’t change his dismal economic record or the
obvious divisions in his caucus over how to grow the economy. When the
rubber hits the road, these folks just don’t understand
how business works.”
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