The B.C. Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is playing party pooper as people get ready to celebrate the ringing in of a New Year.

Kris Sims says people should brace for big tax hikes on a number of fronts in 2019, not the least of which is the province double dipping on the MSP and EHT health taxes.

“It is a really high tax burden. They just foisted it upon every city in town of a reasonable size and they don’t seem to be batting an eye over it. It is a big tax hike. If you are in Kamloops you are seeing, unfortunately, a big property tax hike largely based on this Employer Health Tax.”

She says the subsequent property tax increases will then ripple out an impact everyone from homeowners to people renting or leasing space for their businesses.

Sims says the Carbon Tax is also headed up.

“The Carbon Tax is going up from $35 a tonne to $40 a tonne in April of the new year. That means we are going to paying more at the pump for our gasoline and our diesel if we are commuting to work or just headed out in our cars and trucks. Of course everything that we eat and everything that we use is deivered to us usually on the a truck. A higher Carbon Tax means a higher cost of most things.”

She says this is on top of other tax increases from transit taxation in the lower mainland to the new school tax impacting super expensive homes.