Thanks to some questionning by The Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn Palmer, and my own digging and analysis, BC voters can have sneak peak at the BC Liberal government’s re-election strategy.
Palmer had asked for an update on tax cuts the Liberals had introduced … and was given a list of 103 instances where the government says it has reduced taxes since being elected in 2001. In his column Friday, the superb columnist reported the highlights … totalling $2.5 billion in income tax cuts alone to date.
I found the details and the links, now available on the government website: Tax Cuts for British Columbians for both individuals and businesses. Makes most interesting reading .. and this will be a key part of the government’s campaign in the upcoming May 2009 re-election battle.
Part 1 of the Liberal strategy, I predict, will be a massive advertising campaign to ”educate” the public about the contents of this list in both newspaper ads and home-delivered information circulars … using government (ie taxpayers’ dollars), starting shortly after the New year break.
Part 2 of the campaign will, of course, focus on Liberal party promises of “more to come” … new personal and small business tax breaks, using the government’s projected surplus (despite current economic difficulties) thanks to better-than-expected oil and natural gas sales.
And Part 3 of the strategy will attack the NDP’s expected promises to “do more” for seniors, the poor, economically depressed communities, public transit and a new environmental program (wait for it!) to replace the hated retail carbon tax on gasoline.
The Liberals will cost this all out … into the “billions” … and do their best to frighten voters away from the “wild spending” plans of the NDP.
And Premier Gordon Campbell will be portrayed as the “only” strong leader, who can guide BC safely through the choppy economic waters … all the while reducing taxes even more.
Forget about his personal remoteness, the handing out of huge salary increases to his government’s top officials, his flying in a private jet to Beijing for the Olympics, the horrible golf-course giveaway deal in his own riding, cost over-runs for the new Vancouver Convention Centre; escalating HUGE extra costs to the taxpayers for Olympic security etc. etc.
The Liberal re-election plan will take advantage of global economic woes … and, just like Harper and the Conservatives federally, it will get help and editorial support from BC’s mainstream media … who will urge voters to “stay the course”.
But unless Campbell does something about his own cold, arrogant image and cancel the plan to increase that hated carbon tax next summer … it should be a really interesting election battle.
And as a political junkie, I can hardly wait! 
Harv Oberfeld
5 responses so far ↓
1 RS // Oct 18, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Okay, so Campbell can boast about 103 tax cuts, but what about a list of tax increases, or increased costs to the public, or instances where he may have downloaded costs onto municipalities or cut services etc…
I’m not all that economically savvy (though I do know my retirement investments have gone for ______), but I do know if I lowered my income 103 different ways I’d be living under the nearest bridge or overpass in no time.
Where’s the money coming from to pay for the ever increasing Olympic dept, all the grandiose transportation schemes, the controversial convention centre, carbon tax rebates, to mention but a few?
And don’t even get me going on the integrity and character (or lack thereof) of the man.
RS
(Response. VERY good questions and points. I’m, of course, just predicting how his campaign will unfold. It will be up to the Opposition to raise the points you do and to the media to question and challenge any false claims (God help us!) ho
2 Grant g // Oct 18, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Smoke and mirrors, every tax cut is offset by increases else where. BC Hydro-year over year increase is over 30%– That one increase amounts to hundreds of dollars a year!
Harv,you can`t keep telling people how well their doing when their wallets are empty!
Translink has announced a minimun of a 100.00 car levy,watch it turn into 300.00
MSP-up–ferries up—teresan gas up–park fees–transit fares up–gas tax–eco fees–etc etc etc
The truth be known that the tax load on individuals is far higher than at any time in BC history, PERIOD!
My last point is harv—Nobody likes Campbell ,people are waiting in the weeds to zing him,so zung he will be!
Harv–When that levee breaks on a personal level thats it, nobody trusts Campbell, Campbell will lose both bi-elections next week but that won`t be the story, the story will be the margin of defeat, Campbell is also making another big mistake and thats putting his mugg(shot) in front of every camera, every mike.
Silly POINT GREY GORDON,his ego is so overblown he doesn`t realize know one like him!
3 Patrick Bell (NOT the MLA) // Oct 18, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Great article Harv. I have been having a great time in my grade 6 class discussing all the pre and post federal election details with my class. We even created our own House of Commons complete with a scaled down version of the current party representation, speaker of the house and cabinet ministers. They then debated some of the key issues just like question period….they loved it and want to do more
Now we have the American election and the BC election to work towards…its a great year for teaching Social Studies in the class…:-)
Response: And dont forget the Vancouver Fairview by-election ..to replace Gregor robertson, who decided to run for Mayor of Vancouver … by-election made all the more interesting because NDP’s affirmative action rules PREVENTED men from seeking their nomination. Don’t ya just love politics!
ho
4 LP // Oct 19, 2008 at 2:15 am
My money simply isn’t going as far as it should. Part of that can be blamed on governmental taxes and the other part can be blamed on businesses not paying a livable wage. This ain’t the 60′s folks. People were shocked to discover businesses are making record profits, and governments raking in surpluses. For a government to give back the very coin they took from me is not going to sway me in the least come election time. The carbon tax was the last straw.
5 Tired of Lies // Oct 26, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Wow. What a way to spoil a weekend! (I kid)
Okay, here’s something I never see addressed. Very soon BC will have less income tax from it populace due to baby boomers retiring en masse and fewer and fewer people earning even a median income (the only wage base that is increasing is the lower wage earners – unless you’re a deputy or assistant deputy minister).
Will there be less government as a result? How is this very real upcoming shortfall being budgeted for? We’re also going to need a lot more funds for healthcare and aged support. Nothing but silence on those topics from both the liberals and the opposition parties. Why?
Also – the taxpayers are currently supporting the over 30,000 people who collect salaries from the provincial government and at any given time about 7,000+ contractors earning HUGE paydays. The government is obsessing about filling the seats of people who are retiring, but no one has ever provided proof that the numbers will be (or are currently) either supportable (tax base), or even needed.
One last point. Where is the voice of the opposition parties on these topics… or ANY topic for that matter.
BC needs a strong alternative to gords government – badly and we need it now!
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