Socialism Descends on B.C.

Again.
You'd think that people would remember the NDP's impact on the province during their two terms in the 1990's.

Thanks to Dr. Weaver of the Greens, the province is back into the dog eat dog world of wealth redistribution courtesy of Premier Horgan of the NDP or, rather, wealth "trickle down" to the have-nots.

"Budget 2018 lifts people up," said Finance Minister Carole James in her address to the legislature.
Really?
Maybe folks on the Lower Mainland really believe that house prices--admittedly unaffordable, as has always been the case in other big cities such as Toronto, London (England), Manhattan, Zurich--will decrease to the levels seen, say, in the 1970's so that they can finally afford a single family home!
Obviously the NDP feels the new speculation tax will do just that.

Tax, tax, tax.
New taxes.
For the time being it's only in "hot" market areas.
But if you believe that the NDP won't extend this tax to all of B.C., then I have a lead on some Arizona oceanfront you'd be interested in!

Norman Mailer  once said

  “The function of socialism is to raise suffering to a higher level”

  

and Larry Sechrest was quoted as saying

 ”Each new government regulation

 taxes the private sector,

 relentlessly shifting resources

 out of the hands of the productive,

 and into the hands of the unproductive.“ 

 

A few of B.C.'s new rules:

The location-specific property tax:
This new, annual property tax will apply to foreign and domestic homeowners who do not pay income tax in B.C., including those who leave their properties vacant.
The new tax will initially apply to homes in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and capital regional districts in Victoria and Nanaimo, Kelowna and West Kelowna.
In 2018, the tax rate will be 0.5 per cent of assessed value. In 2019, it will rise to 2.0 per cent of assessed value.

The "enhanced foreign buyer's tax":
Effective Wednesday, the government will increase the foreign buyers tax from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.
While it's currently only in Metro Vancouver, it will be extended to the Fraser Valley, the capital regional districts in Victoria and Nanaimo and the Central Okanagan Regional Districts.
"We think that foreign buyers should contribute more for the high quality of life they enjoy in our province," said the NDP's finance minister James.

Hit the employers...hard.

MSP premiums downloaded to employers:
The budget will eliminate Medical Service Plan premiums on Jan. 1 2020.
As part of eliminating the premiums, the province will put in place a new payroll tax for employers starting on Jan. 1, 2019.
Businesses with a payroll of more than $1.5 million will pay a tax of 1.95 per cent on their total payroll.
Businesses with a payroll between $500,000 and $1.5 million will pay a reduced rate. Those under $500,000 will not pay at all.
"We believe this is a fair process," said James. "We believe this is manageable."

It's fair?  Why?
Because the NDP believes no-one should get ahead (i.e. business owners purportedly earning a profit) without "pulling up" their slaves....er...a... employees.
Never mind the recent increase to minimum wages...that's not enough, according to the NDP.
Let employers pay for their employees' medical premiums.

Manageable?
Fair?
Apparently so, according to the NDP, who salivate at the mere thought of shuffling the social order.

The internet artist forgot to place the club in Horgan's hand..and mark the year as 2018.

There are other budget items that this blog won't illuminate.
Little items like increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes by ~50 cents.
But let's make sure that the seriously disadvantaged/addicted folks continue to have their safe-injection houses so they can, at least for a few hours, drop out of a potentially meaningful spot in society.
Hell, if left to the NDP's plans, maybe they'll have MY house one day!

Don't believe for a moment that my slap of the NDP means I am a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal.

I now frequently recall the long-ago words (as I approached voting age) of a very wise gentleman:

"Don't let idealogy cloud your vision...

vote for the  party

 that will do you and your family

the least amount of harm."

The words were those of my Dad.

I'll never forget them.

Or him.

"Make sure you pass that on to the next generation," Kia would've said.

Yup.

Done!