With the NDP’s landslide victory in British Columbia now confirmed with 22 votes, the first step for the new solid majority government is simple: put the money promised in the election into the hands of British Columbians.

That means turning Prime Minister David Eby’s rebate promise – aka “Eby-bate” – into reality.

The campaign promise provides a one-time rebate check of up to $500 for single individuals with wages up to $100,000 (phasing out to $125,000) and up to $1,000 for opting out households gradually to 250,000 dollars. After that, the rebate turns into a tax cut on the first $22,580 earned annually, which the New Democrats say will be similar savings.

There is great consternation within government over the regulatory or legal mechanisms needed to achieve this. And considerable effort is being made to study the issue by the “transition team” created to facilitate the change between the Eby government and… er, well, the Eby government.

One school of thought is simply to write a few cabinet orders, tinker with a few regulations, and spend the money as quickly as possible. This clearly fits with the “getting things done” philosophy that defined the first 22 months of Prime Minister Eby’s tenure, where the ends justify the means and the process poses an inconvenient barrier to opportunity.

But the “Eby-bate” is massive. It will cost $1.8 billion just for the first phase of rebate checks, and then another $1.3 billion a year in lost tax revenue.

This kind of change, involving this kind of money, deserves to be debated in the Legislature.

Even if the NDP could solve everything by cabinet decree, it should not do so. The permanent tax cuts, which affect 90 per cent of British Columbians, should be detailed in the House of Representatives, considered by MPs and passed by a vote of the Legislative Assembly.

We will know more about the ‘Eby-bate’ when the Prime Minister is sworn into his next cabinet on November 18. It will also likely form the centerpiece of the Speech from the Throne during the promised legislative session in late fall.

“Our goal here is to make sure this place behind me works for British Columbians, particularly on the priorities that were so evident during the campaign, the cost of living, the pressure people feel on their monthly bills to the end of each month. , having the impression that they are getting by or even not getting by, let alone moving forward,” Eby said at a press conference a few weeks ago, outside the legislative chamber .

If the NDP has other ideas on the affordability front, it has left no trace.

The government’s affordability program over the past seven years has consisted primarily of small-scale tax credits that apply only to the lowest incomes of British Columbians, as well as occasional rebates granted by through ICBC and BC Hydro.

The disappointing performance on affordability was one of the factors that led to the rise of the BC Conservatives in the October election.

Conservative Leader John Rustad has promised to allow British Columbians to deduct up to $3,000 a month from their housing costs, such as rent and mortgage, which could then result in an annual tax rebate up to $1,600.

It wasn’t a bad idea – in fact, it would have been one of the largest tax breaks in the province’s history – but Eby ruthlessly derided it because of the four-year implementation delay. years.

Yet why wouldn’t the NDP, after barely being re-elected, look at the Conservatives’ popular proposal and try to do something similar? Why not let people write off the biggest expense of their lives, housing?

It’s simple: the petty tribalism of politics and the NDP’s categorical refusal to mock its opponents’ ideas, no matter how sensible they may be.

That’s why a team of highly paid advocates are currently working behind the scenes to implement “Eby-bate” and reinvent the wheel with a whole new set of affordability policies, while ignoring those right in front their faces.

Rob Shaw has spent more than 16 years covering BC politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for Glacier Media. He is the co-author of the national best-selling book A question of trustweekly podcast host Political capitaland a regular guest on CBC Radio.

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