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EDITORIAL: Nudge it budget

Like many an election budget, the offering from the provincial finance minister this week featured a healthy dose of buying taxpayers’ favour with their own money.

Like many an election budget, the offering from the provincial finance minister this week featured a healthy dose of buying taxpayers’ favour with their own money.

Flush with some extra cash courtesy of last spring’s mind-boggling real estate frenzy, the BC Liberals determined it was time to “give back” to taxpayers.

Mostly that will come through a reduction of MSP premiums – a welcome move as medical premiums are tax that unfairly targets those in middle income brackets.

There were further sprinklings of tax credits and tax cuts, mostly for businesses. Mercifully, this budget avoided alternative facts such as the untold riches to be reaped from the as-yet-nonexistent LNG industry.

Spending is up in certain key areas, like education – in that case forced by a Supreme Court decision.

Other areas, like welfare rates, remain untouched.

There’s not a flash this time. The budget rewards the government’s supporters and ignores its detractors – a safe status quo course for a government heading in to an election.

Beyond that, however, there are inklings of potential trouble brewing. Revenue from natural resources – once the economic powerhouse of B.C. – continues to drop. And the real estate party that propped up the provincial treasury during the current fiscal year has already fizzled.

Coasting towards May, however, the Liberals aren’t overly worried about what lies beyond the bend in the road.

There will be time enough to think about that tomorrow.

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