That was a temporary tax that has expired Mark, but nice try at deflection

The BCTF says school boards have no place left to trim, maybe look in the mirror. The education ministry will get an increase in funding but only to the tune of 1 percent for this budget cycle. Most of the increase coming from the deal struck with the BCTF itself.

I am not saying I am “happy” with the education budget but for CUPE and the BCTF to point fingers after they ensured they got their increases is a little bit bogus. A few questions I would ask would be what is your increase Mark? How much are your education member’s increases this year Mark? Hey, how much does your union’s increase affect the school board’s budget Mark? What is the total (in millions) that your collective agreement adds to the education pie this year Mark? It is mentioned that one of the three highest cost increases to the school board this year is pensions.

Paul Faoro had a interesting article in your CUPE winter paper, where he stated “Our collective efforts helped elect a record number of progressive candidates to local government and school boards across BC on November 15. It was especially gratifying to see the election results in communities like Prince George. During the last local election, our Locals in Prince George weren’t as active in the campaign as they could have been, and one of the results was the election of a right-wing conservative mayor and council” It includes a photo of Paul with Frank Everitt, Terri McConnachie, Jillian Merrick, and Murray Krause.
“We got the best council CUPE could buy” from a local PG paper wasn’t enough to get them sued but the NPA in Vancouver was a different story. Yet you can say in your paper “We are a force to be reckoned with. When politicians go after our members and threaten our work, it is going to get them fired on Election Day.” “Stephen Harper is next,” added Mark Hancock

Your CUPE campaign to get Tom Mulcair elected by “…(CUPE) will support NDP candidates in every single riding across the country” may meet with some challenges. Your best bet would have been last election with the much loved Jack Layton at the helm.

If CUPE thinks they are going to get a free ride with the present Prince George Council they are living in a dream world. To assume that just because they threw some money at some candidates that they have some sort of leverage is bogus.

The eyes of the taxpayers are on this Council, and they have big expectations. If there is any indication that they are favouring one group over another there will be repercussions.

The model of looking after yourself regardless of the cost to others, has to come to an end.

It has been stated many times. **There is only one taxpayer**.

Good morning Palopu and Slinky, you do understand that it’s the BC government, and not the PG Council, that is pertinent to education funding, right?

Obviously they don’t cbdb

Ataloss, you consider yourself to be far smarter than the rest of us! Some of us are just idiots, as far as you are concerned!

I’m just one idiot that thinks that CUPE BC President Mark Hancock is an even bigger idiot! His statement that the Liberal government would rather give a two per cent tax break to those earning over $150,000 per year, than to properly fund public education that benefits everyone is asinine!

His statement is self-serving and is only there to fuel the fire and fan the flames! He’s a Union leader(?) and it’s his job to be the biggest idiot!

As Slinky said earlier, this tax was a temporary tax, a tax that has now been rescinded! CUPE and the NDP and all of those other idiots had no issue when a TEMPORARY tax was imposed, so why should they have an issue when a TEMPORARY tax is rescinded!

Idiots, as you say Ataloss, IDIOTS!!

MAYBE JUST maybe the voters in this province will remember all of this bs we have been fed the last number of years. EDUCATION is an important cog in the wheel for people. Time to start proper funding KRISTY.

cbdb and Ataloss, you do understand that CUPE represents federal, provincial and municipal workforces right? And you do know the school board was elected through the same municipal election as mayor and council, right? I did not include what they said about the school board in their winter paper to CUPE members but it is basically the same as with city councils which is an interesting take, my blog within this blog was getting long – the PDF is available online.

Perhaps you missed the part about “Our collective efforts helped elect a record number of progressive candidates to local government and school boards across BC on November 15” being relevant to the question – what has CUPE done to help the school board aside from giving them money to get elected and ask them to whine about funding?

Maybe you don’t think it is relevant that they are suing the NPA who did not think it right that they not only endorsed candidates for school board and council but gave them funding for their election campaigns, but taking all into context and their wroteups in their own winter paper – I do.

You see it is not the “BC government” organizing this forum but CUPE – and their best retort is accusing the government of ending a temporary tax as they promised?

writeups – was underlined but I ignored it. Still underlined.

I look forward to the forum. From what I have heard this isn’t so much a union function but rather a community gathering. Yes CUPE is heading it up but that should be expected when they are the ones who see the students on a daily basis and see the cuts and the impacts. The trustees are elected by you and I but then their responsibility turns to the province. Bill 11 further cements that they better toe the line or out they go. So basically CUPE is the only one free to speak to the matter. The politicians of course think everything is fine, yet CNC is going to have to cancel a much needed and popular program just to get the budget balanced.

You know education isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. We spend a lot of money for people who pursue degrees that qualify them to do absolutely nothing, and they go on to do absolutely nothing other than try to renege on their student loan, or try to get a PHd so they can teach absolutely nothing. In a world of scarce resources, just how important is it for the government to fund philosophy, 18th century poetry etc. I’m sure to the people this interests it’s very important but is it important enough to cut say the dental program at CNC? Is it important enough to reach into a retiree’s pocket and ask for more tax dollars so someone can spend 4 captivating years getting an undergraduate degree in an undeclared major? Is it important enough to raise taxes to those over $150,000, (many of whom are health professionals like doctors and specialists), so that they don’t bother working an extra day, because more goes to tax, than to them.

@ slinky and Hart Guy

Corporate Income Tax (1916), Personal Income Tax (1917) and the Federal Sale Tax (1920 – now the GST) were all brought in as TEMPORARY. The Gov’t could very easily have kept that tax on the books and made it permanent. Instead they chose to make the rich smile, and then say they “kept their word”. Because, as you know, this Liberal Gov’t never lies. Right? [ insert sound of muffled laughter ]

Nipawin bible college , sask . Canada’s first college to get100 % of its energy from solar panels putting to rest a $ 17000 dollar a year electric bill . Their estimate is an ROI of ten years . After that they will have another 17k per year of free money . Crusty talks a good capitalist story but not for schools . I wouldn’t put cristy in charge of a coolaid stand .

Brother Gecko, let’s look at some numbers that were posted in yesterday’s Vancouver Province newspaper:

“TAX RATE FOR $150,000 EARNER

The more you make, the more you’re going to pay

Almost a century has passed since Ottawa first introduced a temporary income tax to fund Canada’s First World War effort in 1917. Today, Ottawa also collects personal income tax for every province except Quebec.

The feds take 15 per cent of your first $44,000 of taxable income, 22 per cent of the next $44,000, 26 per cent of the next $48,000 and 29 per cent of anything you make over $136,270. B.C. has even more tax brackets. Victoria takes five per cent of your first $37,606 of taxable income, 7.7 per cent of the next $37,607, 10.5 per cent of the next $11,141, 12.3 of the next $18,505, 14.7 per cent of the next $45,142 and, finally, 16.8 per cent of any taxable income over $150,000.

If you’re in the $150,000 club, your combined rate is 45.8 per cent.”

Hart Guy. The last NDP government had that rate up to about 54%. They thought it was a great idea, except anyone who could show residence in Alberta, did. They actually ended up going backwards because of the amount of tax avoidance that was going on. CRA actually cares very little about provincial coffers, and people were using their alberta cottages as their addresses, just to get taxed in that jurisdiction. It was wrong, but it still happened. When the rates came down to a more reasonable amount, total revenue actually went up.

The Laffer curve is an interesting economic theory that shows as tax rates increase, there is a point in time where total government revenues actually decrease. The decrease seems to come from – high income people working less because keep in mind, the highest marginal rate applies to your last dollars earned. Increase in tax avoidance as the value of cheating increases. Economic decline as people are less interested in investing in a province that wants more of the dollar they make.

As much as the left can’t seem to stand someone making more than them, fact is, those are the people that makes things happen, and that’s why it seems whenever we get the NDP in power, we have a corresponding decrease in economic growth.

Ski, I think that people using Alberta cabins as their residence is an urban legend. The tax man isn’t that dumb. Only Duffy and the senate are. People and head offices just moved. I moved to BC from Alberta in 1992. I was shocked at the taxes. 54% top rate, luxury car tax on $33,000 and up, PST, etc. I had made my career choice by then so there was no turning back.
I did however become involved in politics for the first time with mission of ridding this Province of NDP governments. Took awhile but thankfully it was accomplished.

You pay taxes on your province of “factual” residence on December 31st of that year. Does not matter where you lived the rest of the 364 days of the year. All those people working in Fort Mac and commuting pay taxes in BC unless they pack up the family and rent in Alberta in December. With the new taxes now in Alberta to cover the deficit may be better to live in BC.

Your residence is determined where you have the most residential ties IF you have more than one province of residence. “Most” residential ties includes the residence, spouse or common-law partner, and dependents. So of your family is living in Alberta on Dec 31st, including any children, and you have a house or rent in both provinces the one where they reside is your place with most residential ties and you pay taxes in that province.