Balanced budgets not unfunded promises and reckless tax cuts

With British Columbia facing an alarming $8.9 billion deficit, both the NDP and Conservatives are making irresponsible promises: cutting taxes while increasing spending. This is a recipe for endless deficits. Every time the government runs a deficit, it’s a debt that you, your children, and future generations will have to repay. While some deficits are unavoidable, slashing taxes without first cutting spending is reckless.

Take, for example, the “Axe the Tax” campaign and the NDP’s recent pivot to abandon carbon taxation. The BC Carbon Tax was introduced nearly a decade before leaders like David Eby or Justin Trudeau came to power. At the time, it was widely recognized as one of the fairest ways to address the rising costs of climate change while also giving middle-class families a break on income taxes. The logic was simple: give people and businesses modest tax relief while shifting some of the cost of climate change to those responsible for higher pollution levels.

This approach wasn’t just fair—it was cost-effective. The carbon tax was much cheaper for the government to administer than more complicated alternatives like cap-and-trade. But the costs of climate change aren’t going away. In 2023 alone, BC spent a record $886 million fighting forest fires. The 2021 floods and heat dome disasters were estimated to have cost nearly $17 billion. And yet, the carbon tax, which raises about $2.6 billion annually, after rebates, contributes just $1.8 billion—a fraction of what is needed.

While the carbon tax doesn’t fully cover the massive costs of climate change, it serves an important purpose. It helps reduce our dependence on income tax while making those who pollute more accountable for the damage they cause. Cutting this tax would create a gaping $1.8 billion hole in the budget. Where would that money come from? Would we cut essential services? Raise other taxes? Or would we push this cost onto the next generation—our children—already saddled with debt?

British Columbians deserve better than a short-sighted tax cut that will only lead to bigger problems down the road. When governments cut sales and carbon taxes, they inevitably rely more on income tax to make up the difference. For hardworking people trying to save for the future or pay off student loans, this means the harder they work, the more the government takes. That’s not fairness—that’s a disincentive to succeed.

I stand by the carbon tax because it remains one of the fairest ways to share the burden of climate change. But I also believe that any future increases should be used exclusively for climate mitigation efforts—not as a blank check for government spending.

What we need is not more tax cuts. We need to rein in government spending and reduce the size of government. Once BC’s budget is balanced and spending is under control, then—and only then—should we discuss cutting taxes.

Unfortunately, it’s likely both major parties will head into the next election with promises of more spending and unfunded tax cuts. It may be good politics in the short term, but it’s a disaster for our future. We cannot afford to keep piling up debt and leaving the bill for the next generation.

It’s time to demand real leadership—leadership that will make tough decisions to balance the budget, not one that offers easy promises today at the expense of tomorrow.