• CTF releases cost analysis of Liberal and NDP platforms
  
• 87 un-costed Liberal promises, 31 un-costed NDP promises in contest of one up-manship with tax dollars

VICTORIA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today released a comprehensive cost analysis of the NDP and Liberal platforms, noting that both parties are on the same big spending path. "Even a cursory review of the platforms reveals there is very little difference between the major parties in this campaign," said Sara MacIntyre, BC director for the CTF. The CTF's full analysis is available on their website: www.taxpayer.com.

"The most striking feature of the analysis was the 118 un-costed promises made by the NDP and Liberals. Both these parties knew when this election was going to take place for the past four years and yet they both released their platforms with significant holes. We expect politicians to make promises, that's what they do. But come election time, the leaders have a responsibility to attach a dollar figure to these promises so voters can measure how much each party will cost them. More importantly, voters need to be able to hold the next government accountable four years from now," MacIntyre noted.

Analysis highlights:

• The Liberal platform makes 134 election commitments: 47 costed and 87 un-costed. The costed promises total $7.9 billion. Most of these commitments are multi-year and all but $576 million had been previously announced in the 2005 Budget or ministerial service plans. Of the un-costed promises, some had been announced in the 2005 budget. The CTF was able to estimate that 13 of the 87 un-costed promises totals $3.6 billion over next 5 years.
  
  
• The NDP platform makes 64 election commitments, of which 33 are costed and total $806 million. The costing appendix notes $450 million will be 're-allocated' spending measures, therefore $356 million is in new spending. But, Carole James has been on record that she will not cancel half of the Small Business fund for local projects, as noted in her platform, so that makes NDP new spending commitments total $475 million. The platform also includes 31 un-costed commitments, the CTF estimates that just 2 of these promises will cost taxpayers well over $1 billion (tuition freeze and making BC Ferries a crown corporation).
  
  
  
• The Liberals clearly have more promises but have largely relied upon previous commitments made in the 2005 Budget when they increased ministerial spending by 7.8%. Also, the Liberal platform is a collection of multi-year funding commitments or promises, similar to the three year fiscal plans used in the Budgets. Many of the un-costed Liberal promises are expansions of existing programs or are one-time administration costs that may not prove too costly.
  
  
• The NDP platform is only costed for the first year and makes fewer overall commitments, but the un-costed promises have the potential to balloon out of control. For example, the platform does not include the costs associated with bringing BC Ferries back as a crown corporation. A rough estimate would peg the costs around $600 million, ($500 million in capital financing costs, plus legislation and administrative changes). Plus add in the costs of political meddling with contracts and the total could be close to a billion dollars. Other potentially big yet un-costed commitments made in the NDP platform: restore 'free collective' bargaining, spreading the Olympic benefits to all regions and the creation of public diagnostic centres.
  
  
  "Incredibly, this election has failed to address the tax burden or the $6 million a day flushed down the proverbial toilet on debt interest payments," said MacIntyre. "It has been a contest focused solely on who will spend more of our tax dollars."