VANCOUVER: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) presented finance minister Carole Taylor yesterday with its key recommendations for budget 2007. "The message was simple: tax cuts work," said BC director Sara MacIntyre.

The report, A Taxpayer's Budget, recommends a tax review committee be established with a mandate to simplify, lower and flatten income taxes.

"If British Columbia is to continue on the path to prosperity it must attractive more skilled workers and investment; it must be competitive. Reducing the tax burden and simplifying the tax system are essential for British Columbia to compete," stated MacIntyre.

"Our annual CTF supporter survey revealed a full 99 per cent of decided respondents support a tax review committee. No other issue has ever generated that degree of consensus amongst CTF supporters in British Columbia. It's clear that a comprehensive review of the tax system is long overdue."

The CTF proposes a three-pronged starter plan for simpler, lower and flatter income taxes: increase the basic personal exemption to $15,000, eliminate the top two income brackets and scrap the myriad of credits, deductions and exemptions.

"This year's pre-budget report once again recommends mandatory debt retirement, an Olympic transparency plan, an end to ICBC's monopoly and an end to the prohibition of private medical insurance. For the first time, the CTF is urging the provincial government act to provide greater accountability of municipal spending by expanding the purview of the auditor general to local governments and implement a province wide cap on property tax bills," concluded MacIntyre.

key recommendations

A Taxpayer's Budget