Content area
Full Text
A BC Liberal Government
In the 2001 provincial general election, voters gave the BC Liberals an overwhelming mandate to implement their New Era policy platform. While the enormity of the Liberal victory may have been a surprise to many, the same cannot be said about the new government's policy positions. The BC Liberals developed the majority of their policy positions many years ago, and the New Era document released during the campaign was simply an updated version of an existing publication. As a result, the Liberals' agenda, at least for the first 90 days, appears to be very predictable.
Business and Personal Tax Cuts
Business taxes are a politically sensitive issue at election time, and the Liberal document does not address them. However, Gary Farrell-Collins-expected to be the next finance minister-told Business in Vancouver in May 2001 that the Liberals would like to phase out the corporate capital tax and the sales tax on machinery and equipment, but that the timing will depend on the state of the finances. Farrell-Collins' comments were consistent with Gordon Campbell's statements to the BC Business Summit in April. Campbell told the business organization that although business taxes would have to be addressed in...