On checking the 2014 tax forms, the first thing I noticed was the decrease for personal exemption for B.C. residents.
Since 2011, the B.C. government has lowered this from $11,088 to $9,869. As I presume, most people use a tax firm or do their taxes online. This has probably gone unnoticed by most. This is probably what the government is counting on.
For Christy Clark to boast that they have balanced the budget without raising the percentage we pay in tax is an oxymoron.
You are paying taxes on $1,219 more. Combine this with lower spousal exemption from $10,703 to $9,295, a decrease of another $1,408. This means the average B.C. family is now paying approximately $160 a year more in taxes.
If you multiply this by the number of taxpayers this adds up to millions of dollars. This is how, along with cutting funding, you balance the budget. With all the increases for hydro, natural gas, ferries, transit, etc., this tells me this government is not very concerned about the financial welfare of B.C. residents using this deceptive practice and is only looking to polish its own image.
Roy Becker
Penticton