Time for another edition of the B.C. Monday Morning Quarterback—five things I’m thinking about this week:

1. David Baines over at the Vancouver Sun has done some great research into the value of tax-receiptable donations, and whether they are being inflated to maximize the donor’s receipt—at a cost to taxpayers. Very interesting stuff.

2. Government debt doesn’t go away? It comes back to bite future generations? Say it ain’t so!

3. While totally partisan, former B.C. Liberal Geoff Plant has an interesting spin on the NDP’s fiscal plan:

Have a read of the following [bolded] passage, after which I will ask you a question about it:

A New Democrat government will control government spending openly and responsibly.  We can’t solve every problem overnight.  We will set priorities.  New Democrat programs will be affordable and within our means.  We will not spend more than British Columbians can afford.

We will make sure that large profitable corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of ... taxes.

A New Democrat government will balance the budget over the business cycle...and keep taxes fair...for everyone.

So now the question: who said this?

You might think it was NDP leader Adrian Dix in one of his recent speeches to the business community.  Over the past weeks and months, the NDP have begun laying out their fiscal policy in anticipation of the next election.  What are we told to expect? A modest increase in corporate taxes.  Re-instituting capital taxes on banks.  Perhaps an increase in income taxes for the very well-to-do.  It all sounds very measured.  Or, as Vaughn Palmer put it in his column a couple of days ago, “Not exactly rampant socialism.”

It’s a message that sounds a lot like the passage I quoted above, doesn’t it?

Except that passage is actually from the 1991 NDP election platform.

4. Good on the B.C. Medical Association for telling the truth on junk food taxes:

Ontario doctors are calling for extra taxes on fatty and sugary foods, but the BC Medical Association says that may not be the best thing for our province.

Dr. Lloyd Oppel says the number of obese kids is increasing, and when BC doctors looked at taxing junk food they felt there was no real definition of what junk food is.

"I think it would be difficult to draw up a list of things that were truly bad versus things that are truly good and be able to implement a tax on that basis.  Not that it's impossible to do something in that direction but it would be a tough road I think," says Oppel.

5. Be sure to check out the debut of our Tax Talk CTF podcast—featuring Alberta director Derek Fildebrandt and myself talking MLA expense transparency and pensions. While B.C. politicians are trying to hide their expenses, Alberta politicians are thinking of giving themselves a ridiculous pension plan!