The jury is still out on B.C. Liberals' cutbacks Final Edition

Some years ago, the NDP introduced a provincial sales tax on legal fees, specifically to pay for legal aid. Today, the revenues from this tax exceed the whole of the legal-aid budget, never mind just the province's share. Of course, the NDP never directed these funds to legal aid. They put them...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inKamloops daily news
Main Author Dundee, David C
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kamloops, B.C Postmedia Network Inc 04.02.2002
Subjects
KAMLOOPS
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Summary:Some years ago, the NDP introduced a provincial sales tax on legal fees, specifically to pay for legal aid. Today, the revenues from this tax exceed the whole of the legal-aid budget, never mind just the province's share. Of course, the NDP never directed these funds to legal aid. They put them into general revenue -- just like the Coquihalla tolls and forest-renewal funds. Now the Liberals say they shouldn't have to either. But the fact is these taxes were collected for a specific purpose. Refusing to apply them to that purpose is just like stealing, whether it's the NDP doing it or the Liberals. Would you tolerate the municipality collecting property taxes for a water-treatment plant and then spending it on councillors' retreats? Like many of you, I voted the NDP out, and I still say good riddance. I want the Liberals to succeed. My confidence is just getting a little shaky right now. Yes, the budget needs to be trimmed, But any idiot can cut. It takes skill and leadership to truly do more with less. I pray the Liberals have a little of both.
ISSN:1185-491X