It has been a busy couple of days doing media on TransLink fare evasion and ICBC rate hike stories. Today, I meet with NDP Finance Critic Bruce Ralston to discuss our budget recommendations, and to learn more about where he sees his party heading fiscally.

On ICBC, three things are worth repeating:

1. We’re being nickel and dimed to death, but government and crown corporations seem tone deaf to that fact. ICBC says it’s only $30 a year—what’s the big deal. But on top of a two cent a litre increase in TransLink gas tax, a 1.1 cent increase in carbon tax, a 2.5% BC Ferries fuel surcharge, a pending $7 per month increase in Medical Services Premiums, and a 6% BC Hydro increase, it’s too much. Taxpayers are stretched to the breaking point, but these agencies don’t seem to notice. All of these provincial government hands in our pocket need to talk to one another and make sure their customers can handle these increases. There may be hundreds of provincial government agencies, but there is only one taxpayer.

2. Competition works. ICBC’s optional rate, where they face competition from other companies, is actually dropping. It’s the basic rate, where there is a government-legislated monopoly, that is increasing. Coincidence? I think not.

3. Money shouldn’t have been flowing out of ICBC all these years into general government revenues. It has been an unfair practice to suck dollars out of ICBC and put them into government and here’s why: the people who pay ICBC premiums should be the ones who receive the benefits of those dollars. If there is profit in ICBC, it should result in lower premiums and cheaper rates for ICBC customers—not floating over to government where non-ICBC customers can benefit from those dollars. It’s a simple issue of fairness. Of course, this means heightened accountability from the ICBC Board to ensure they aren’t simply feathering their own nests, but that can be managed by government.