Victoria/Ottawa: Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) British Columbia director Mark Milke today announced that "billboards have been erected in six Canadian provinces "as the latest stage in the CTF's 'Cut Taxes 2000' campaign." A BC press conference was held today in Kamloops, the location of one of the billboards.

The billboards have an illustration of a taxpayer, covered only by a barrel, emblazoned with a slogan that reads: After 2000 Years - It's Time for Tax Cuts! The billboards also indicate the web address of the CTF's award-winning web site www.taxpayer.com where Canadians can surf by; view the CTF's tax cut proposals and sign the on-line petition dubbed the "Billion Byte March."

The campaign was launched on October 25th at a multi-media news conference in Ottawa amid 10,000 shiny new loonies to illustrate the impact of bracket creep on an average Canadian taxpayer over the past decade. So far, the campaign has utilized the CTF's award-winning web site (www.taxpayer.com) for an online petition, a speaking tour, media events and a comprehensive pre-budget submission presented to the House of Commons Finance Committee on December 1st.

"We hope to make our country's millennium budget, a taxpayers budget, "stated Milke. "Billions of bytes of information and tens of thousands of names will be collected and delivered to the federal Finance Minister in January to demonstrate the overwhelming national consensus that has emerged in support of lower taxes."

The CTF is calling for $9-billion in tax cuts and $7-billion in debt reduction for the 2000 federal budget expected in February:

Elimination of "bracket creep" through the restoration of full-indexation to the tax system;

Elimination of the 5% federal income tax surtax;

A 10% across-the-board income tax cut which would reduce all-three federal tax brackets from 17, 26 and 29% to 15, 24 and 27% respectively; and

A legislated schedule of debt reduction beginning with $7 billion annual debt repayments.

CTF billboards are now posted in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.