Budget 2013 lacks vision for the role of
government in BC, says Green
Party of BC leader Jane Sterk
via Green Party of BC
Today’s provincial budget presented by Minister of Finance Michael de Jong indicates that expenditures will be driven by the bottom line rather than the value and outcome of programs. “The Green Party believes that we should live within our means and is skeptical that the government has balanced its budget,” Green Party of BC leader Jane Sterk comments, “A balanced budget must be seen as a responsible tool for increasing citizen’s quality of living, and the efficiency and efficacy of government services. This budget does not present a solid vision for the future of British Columbia. Instead, the expenditures and investments seem to have been haphazardly derived, simply as ends in themselves.”
The Green Party of BC questions a number of striking decisions revealed by Budget 2013 indicating a significant lack of vision for the long-term and offered alternatives:
- Government property and asset sales are explained as an
ongoing feature of government operations, yet it is one of “four key
steps” to achieving the projected budget surplus in 2013 and 2014. This
implies property and asset sales were poorly managed in the past and / or
that this is a fire-sale to balance the budget.
- The government property asset sale is also
short-sighted in that it will generate a temporary source of revenue over
two years. The Green Party wonders if alternate public-use for these
properties has been investigated. Their sale should be carefully
considered and shared with the public before listings are finalized. We do
not want us to regret fire sales in three to five years.
- The BC Training and Education Savings Grant (BCTESG)
supports young people’s access to education, which Sterk commends as a
positive step. However, Sterk qualifies that these individual grants of
$1,200, which are forecast to cost the government $30 million in its first
year assuming 57% of eligible families apply for the program, could be
redirected to the advanced educational institutions in BC. These
institutions are in need of additional funding. Presidents of BC research
universities recently commented that an investment of at least $100
million is needed per annum in order to maintain current levels of
training and instruction. These funds could also be used to reduce
financial barriers to access to advanced education.
- Moreover, the BCTESG does not provide solutions to the
absence of vocation-demanding jobs and meaningful employment within BC
after students graduate from post-secondary institutions. Full employment
is meaningless if citizens are under-employed.
- The Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural
Development loses a significant amount of funding, which appears to result
in a dramatic reduction of transfers to local governments. This represents
a downloading of services that directly influence quality of life. It will
also increase the cost of housing.
- Hidden tax increases are present in the budget in
addition to the ones mentioned. For example, families and individuals will
be faced with a 4% increase in healthcare premiums. In addition, the
budget proposes selected subsidies without attention to a purposeful and
systematic strategy, such as the elimination of carbon tax on coloured
fuel.
e-mail News to VNN Return to PlayInVictoria.net
"this page and website is in beta and is subject to change or be removed without notice"
