BC NDP

During the election, the B.C. Liberals told voters they had no plans to impose a Harmonized Sales Tax, that they would protect education and health care, and that the deficit would be $495 million "maximum." But as soon as the election was over, they announced the HST, cut education and health care, and revealed a $3 billion deficit.

Now, as Kash Heed comes to Kelowna for a B.C. Liberal fundraiser with Steve Thomson, Ben Stewart, and Eric Foster, people in Kelowna want to know why families are the ones being left to pay the price for the government's lies.

Consider these facts:

• The HST will shift almost $2 billion in taxes from corporations onto hard-working British Columbians and small businesses;
• The HST will drive up the cost for everything from restaurant meals, school supplies, safety equipment, facility rentals and equipment for sports teams, to theatre tickets, dinners out, books, dietary supplements, new homes, phone bills and funerals;
• A report from the TD Bank found that the HST would increase the cost of over 21 per cent of the goods and services that British Columbians buy;
• The HST will be a big blow to many of Kelowna's most important industries, particularly tourism, the arts, and the restaurant industry;
• Kelowna schools were slammed by the elimination of $3.7 million in facilities grants last September. This cut is compounded by the B.C. Liberals' decision to hike MSP premiums, which could cost the district as much as $100,000 next year, at a time when the district is already struggling to fund basic services;
• The B.C. Liberals are forcing the Interior Health Authority to reduce the number of surgeries by ten per cent, while pursuing schemes to make B.C. a destination for surgical tourists from the United States.

Carole James and the New Democrats have been holding the B.C. Liberals accountable for breaking their word on the HST, and for backtracking on their election promises to protect health care, education, and other vital services.