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BC FORUM News Release Download the full report "Budget Priorities" here. Download copy of news release here. “Stop giving to the strong and taking from the weak,” October 16, 2009 - A group representing retired workers has asked the provincial government to “please stop” cutting taxes. “You are cutting the wrong taxes, and increasing the wrong fees,” said Alice West, President of the BC Federation of Retired Union Members, in a brief delivered to the Legislature’s finance committee today. “You have skewed our tax system to give more thousands of dollars to those who already have all the yachts and mansions they need, and forced the rest of us to pay for it in higher fees and lost services,” she said. “So we ask you, please stop. We need to stop giving to the strong and taking from the weak. Please give us a fair, progressive tax system that puts people first – the principle that should guide every government decision.” West said there are many areas where government decisions are making the difference between dignity and despair for ordinary people. She criticized BC’s record of having the worst level of child poverty in Canada, large increases in fees for frail seniors in care homes, and cuts in grants to non-profit societies that help seniors who are isolated and alone. The HST, she said, is another example of government transferring wealth from people to corporations. “I ask you to move BC towards a fair, progressive tax policy that recognizes the needs of the weak as well as the strong,” said West. “Mr. Campbell’s ‘new era’ has turned out to be an era of selfishness. It is an era where unregulated greed is venerated and the public good is desecrated. “It has gone too far. It is time now for budget decisions that reflect the traditional values of British Columbians – concern for others, compassion, and simple human decency towards our fellow men, women and children.” | ||
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