VANCOUVER, B.C.: B.C.’s first quarter update is bad news for taxpayers, as updated government numbers show more government spending driving higher deficits and interest charges for taxpayers. 

“This update took a bad budget and made it even worse,” said Carson Binda, B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “The new numbers show that Premier David Eby has the budgeting skills of a college frat house.”

The update shows the government is overspending its own budget by $1.2 billion, despite collecting nearly $780 more revenue than expected.

Higher spending is being driven by higher compensation for provincial bureaucrats. Higher salaries for the bureaucracy has led to a $1.5 billion hit to the public finances compared to budget 2026. 

“The government found hundreds of millions extra and is still blowing past its budget,” Binda said. “B.C. doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a problem with a government that spends money faster than it makes it.” 

That overspending is causing the government to increase the deficit leaving taxpayers with higher interest charges. The government projects a deficit of $13.76 billion in the first quarter update. That’s $450 million higher than the $13.3 billion budgeted deficit. 

At the same time, the government has saddled taxpayers with higher-than-forecast interest charges. Interest charges will cost British Columbians $6.6 billion this year. That’s nearly $70 million higher than budget forecasts. The increase in interest charges is equivalent to the annual salary of about 750 registered nurses in British Columbia. 

“Taxpayers can’t afford the provincial government to be overspending by a billion dollars this year,” Binda said. “High spending is driving up the deficit which means big interest bills for families.”