VICTORIA – In a budget that rewards the wealthiest British Columbians at the expense of hard-working families, Christy Clark maintained a billion-dollar tax cut for millionaires and created a slush fund with unfair MSP tax hikes.

“The premier could have made this budget about tax fairness, but she chose to just tinker around the edges of the MSP tax, which amounts to little more than a shell game,” said New Democrat leader John Horgan.

“This is not a budget for B.C. families,” Horgan said. “This budget continues the billion-dollar tax break for millionaires, and dings everyone else so Christy Clark can make a deposit to her slush fund to pay for her photo-ops.”

The budget laid out the creation of the so-called Prosperity Fund, but 25 per cent of it will be for “core government priorities in the future.” Horgan said that looks like code for a slush fund.

“This government could have chosen meaningful action to make life more affordable for families. Instead the budget continues Christy Clark’s practice of taking more money from the pockets of British Columbians through hikes to MSP, hydro rates, ICBC rates, camping fees, ferry fares and more,” said New Democrat spokesperson for finance Carole James.

“This budget illustrates that the premier’s not there for hard-working B.C. families.  She’s there for herself and her political friends.”