BC NDP’s tax policies draw Conservative criticism midway through provincial election

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Conservatives are criticizing the New Democrats’ proposed tax policies on the campaign trail, saying they would drive doctors out of the province.

The provincial Conservatives’ reaction comes after NDP Leader David Eby announced the policy on Sunday, which would include the introduction of a new tax bracket for those earning more than $1 million a year.

The New Democrat policy also proposed raising the existing tax rates of the two highest income brackets, a proposal that the Conservatives say would lead to a two per cent increase for those whose annual earnings are as low as $190,405.

The Conservatives also say that change would drive doctors out of B.C., just as the province desperately needs more physicians, while the New Democrats say it is a plan to have top income earners pay a little more to improve health care.