VICTORIA – While John Horgan and the New Democrat government are taking action to make life more affordable for people across B.C., Andrew Wilkinson is making it clear that his BC Liberals still support their failed policies on housing and MSP, and would take the province backwards given the chance.
Wilkinson has stated that he would “get rid of” the Speculation and Vacancy Tax and the Employer Health Tax (EHT) if he formed government. (CKNW, 17-May-2018)
- Speculation and Vacancy Tax – For years, the BC Liberals protected their wealthy donors and refused to act as speculators pushed home prices far beyond a family’s reach. Revenue from skyrocketing home prices also padded BC Liberal budgets, and that windfall proved too difficult for the BC Liberals to turn down. This hurt B.C. families.
John Horgan and the New Democrat government are tackling housing affordability head on, and these measures are supported by 63 per cent of businesses and 88 per cent of people in Metro Vancouver (Vote Local BC 2018 report). However, Wilkinson thinks that the new measures bringing home prices under control are “a huge mistake”, and would rather see housing costs continue to soar out of reach than take action that might curb the record profits of his developer and real estate friends.
- MSP – To pay for their billion dollar tax cuts, the BC Liberals doubled unfair MSP premiums for families. This new government has already cut those premiums in half, and is bringing in the EHT in order to completely eliminate premiums in 2020.
Wilkinson has stated that he and his entire BC Liberal Caucus “will continue to fight the [EHT]”, and would rather make families continue to shoulder the burden of MSP premiums.
“Andrew Wilkinson and the BC Liberals have learned nothing from the last election,” said New Democrat MLA Ravi Kahlon. “It’s clear that given half a chance, they would make the same bad choices that rewarded their friends at the top and made life less affordable for everyone else in B.C.”