Alberta families pay $1,056 per year in health care premium taxes to finance double-digit pay increases for doctors, nurses, MLAs, provincial government employees, teachers, and other public sector workers. Health care premiums do not pay for health care, but go into general revenues like every other provincial tax. Here follow some examples of how Premier Klein spends Albertans' health care premiums and other provincial tax dollars:

$230,000 tax dollars spent on feel-good television and newspaper ads to promote Budget 2003-04. Alberta's radio, television and newspaper media already gave massive coverage to the budget, without costing taxpayers one cent.

$60,000 tax dollars given to the Central Alberta Economic Partnership and $47,640 to the Northeast Alberta Information Hub "to support sustainable regional economic development priorities." Good intentions are present here, no doubt. But businesses themselves are already actively looking for new markets and new resources - with or without the spending of tax dollars to promote a particular region. No amount of networking, nice web sites, friendly conferences, glossy brochures or talk of 'strategic alliances' will change that economic fact.

$40,505 tax dollars given to the Calgary Birth Control Association. Over-population myths - popular in the 1960s and 1970s - have been completely discredited. But even if these theories still have some adherents, organizations with an ideological axe to grind should get their funds from those who agree with them, not from taxpayers.

$36,574 for the Crammond Community Centre in Caroline toward kitchen upgrades, and $50,000 for the Camrose Boys and Girls Club. Good causes, no doubt, but why don't the people in Camrose and Caroline pay for these things themselves Perhaps they can't afford to do so, because as Canadians they lose 49% of their earnings to support three levels of government. Nevertheless, this is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul.

$30,000 to the Lethbridge and District Humane Society for homeless and unwanted dogs and cats, and $23,720 to the Millwoods Cultural Society of Retired and Semi-Retired in Edmonton for a big screen television, library shelving and a computer system. Albertans who think these causes are worthy should contribute voluntarily, but taxpayers should be free to choose their own priorities in charitable giving.
$35,444 to the Town and Country Kosy Korner Association in Nanton for furniture and "a public announcement system to increase community use of the facility." If the people of Nanton aren't willing to pay for their own Kosy Korner, and actually need to be persuaded to make more use of the facility, why should Albertans be forced to contribute with their taxes

$34,000 to the St. Albert Senior Citizens Club for a volunteer program "to enhance volunteer involvement." If they are volunteers, why do they need $34,000 If Alberta's seniors didn't have to pay tens of millions of dollars in provincial property taxes each year, they would have more money to contribute to the club of their choice.

Obviously the Alberta government needs to re-think its spending, which is up by 60% since 1996 - compared to only 14% population growth. If Premier Klein's government reduced its spending by just 4.5%, Alberta families wouldn't need to pay $1,056 in health care premium taxes each year. This tax could be eliminated entirely, and Alberta would still spend more (per person) than most Canadian provinces.