VICTORIA, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released its pre-budget report outlining a path for the provincial government to balance the 2026-27 budget while cutting taxes for families.

“The next provincial budget is a chance for the Eby government to bring some sanity back to our provincial finances,” said Carson Binda, B.C. Director for the CTF. “We’ve been hit with credit rating downgrade after credit rating downgrade and the province must cut spending so we can stop digging ourselves deeper into debt.”

The CTF’s pre-budget report has eight recommendations:

• Balance the budget and stop borrowing
• Conduct a cross-government spending review to find 10.5 per cent savings
• Eliminate wasteful Crown corporations
• Fix the provincial bureaucracy
• Cancel FIFA World Cup subsidies
• Scrap corporate welfare
• Axe the information tax
• Implement a three per cent personal income tax cut

If Finance Minister Brenda Bailey adopts the CTF’s recommendations, B.C. will turn a planned $10 billion deficit into a balanced budget with tax cuts for families.

A three per cent personal income tax cut would save the average family more than $150 next year.

To find these savings and stop the debt dive, all departments must find substantial savings — including reducing the size of B.C.’s provincial bureaucracy. The provincial bureaucracy grew by 21 per cent over the last 5 years.

“Everyone is tightening their belts right now and the government must get on the same page as taxpayers,” Binda said. “Modest spending restraint and a balanced budget means fewer dollars wasted on provincial debt interest charges, more room to provide tax relief and less debt for future generations to pay back.”

You can read the CTF’s pre-budget submission here.