Taxpayers have no more money to give – either in taxes or fees – so don’t ask to squeeze us for any more

Months ago former BC Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was saying the government was going to have a difficult time meeting the numbers in what was already a deficit budget.

The wallets of taxpayers have NO MORE to give

The news media has been filled with stories today that indeed the financial estimates for the current budget do not look good – and we can expect the deficit to be higher.  Here’s just one of the news stories:

CKNW:
BC'S finance minister has released the government's fiscal update for the first quarter.  The deficit for the current fiscal year is projected to be higher than expected.  Falling natural gas revenues are blowing a hole in the provincial budget.

The deficit for this year now pegged at 1.14 billion dollars.  That's 173 million dollars more than expected.  The provincial government is announcing new spending cuts.

The government must find 241 million dollars in savings this year and 389 million in savings the following year and even with those, would still come in with a deficit this year of 1.14 billion dollars.

Premier Christy Clark however still says next year’s budget will be balanced.  She says this and yet we have had no indication, from past example, that she has any idea how that should and can be done.

Is Christy Clark still in some far away fairyland of non-reality?

Just yesterday her government tinkered with the proposed tolls for the new Port Mann Bridge saying they will now be $1.50 per trip for the first year (formerly had said would be $6 per trip).

She has continued to allow the executives and management, of crown corporations and agencies, to take big pay raises … AND undeserved bonuses.

She spends tens of thousands of dollars on photo-op after photo-op that are little more than self-promotion of the BC Liberal Party.

We still have a $6 million hole in government finances after the BC Liberals wrongly authorized payment of the legal bills for Basi and Virk in the BC Rail fiasco.

They turned down tens of millions of dollars, from Telus, for the naming rights to BC Place – that after actively courting them to submit what they were willing to pay to do that.

AND this Liberal government – and the NDP before them – have still never considered a full and complete bottom up look at all spending.  We, and government, have no idea if we are getting the best value for every department – every office – every employee and manager.

The government of Premier Christy Clark is finally acknowledging the realty that the deficit is going to be $173 million dollars higher than what they previously stated – for a total deficit of 1.114 BILLION dollars in this year’s budget.

The BC Liberals have for several years now run up annual budget deficits – and they have increased the debt (remember it will be hitting 60 BILLION dollars by 2014).  They have been NO BETTER than the decade of government led by the NDP who were just as bad in running deficits and doubling the debt.

Taxpayers have no more money to give – either in taxes or fees – so don’t ask to squeeze us for any more.  Instead, government had better do what they should have been doing all along:

• making sure every department and agency of government is necessary --  and doing the job originally intended
• that the budgets they receive are no more than what is needed to do the job (no more spending sprees at the end of budget years to make sure departments get as much or more in the next budget year) 
• and that the wages and salaries of employees and managers are no more, and no better, than the private sector.

What do you think, "Is that really too much to ask?"

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.