The BC NDP has promised a tax cut for middle-class British Columbians — an announcement made by leader David Eby at a rally in Surrey Sunday afternoon (Sept. 29).
Eby was at the rally at Aria Banquet Hall, with hundreds of supporters inside, while a group of protesters outside could be heard chanting "No more NDP."
Eby said the change will mean a $1,000 tax cut for the average family each year, starting next year.
“It’s really tough out there for many families – inflation and interest rates have driven up the cost of daily essentials. People need help now so they can get ahead,” Eby said in an NDP press release. “Our tax cut for the middle class supports people now who are struggling with the high costs of groceries.”
The NDP announcement says it will exempt an additional $10,000 of individual income from tax every year – providing a tax cut of over $1,000 for households and more than $500 for individual British Columbians. In 2025, the tax cut will be provided through a direct rebate.
The BC NDP announcement follows the BC Conservatives' declaration of the so-called "Rustad Rebate": a provincial tax deduction of up $3,000 per month by 2029 for renters and mortgage holders, if his party forms government, starting in January 2026 with a monthly exemption of $1,500.
The rebate would provide tax relief of about $3.5 billion if universally applied to B.C.'s two million homes.
Eby took shots at the Conservative plan in his Surrey announcement, saying benefits would go to fewer people and people would have to wait longer for relief.
- with files from Wolf Depner
