Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives vow no new taxes or tax increases if elected | Daily Hive

Lorne Doerkson (Conservative Party of British Columbia)

The Conservative Party of British Columbia is promising that they will neither introduce new provincial taxes nor increase existing ones if their party forms the next government.

In an announcement yesterday, the party said the commitment would apply throughout a Conservative government led by Lorne Doerkson.

He framed the pledge as a response to rising household costs and what he described as poor results from increased provincial spending.

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“Our party is unified and ready to deliver the change British Columbians deserve. That starts with ending the NDP’s endless tax grabs on working families,” said Doerkson.

“Instead of watching their hard-earned money disappear into government spending that hasn’t made their lives any better, under my government, there will be no new taxes.”

The Conservatives singled out this year’s increase in British Columbia’s lowest provincial income tax rate, which rose from 5.06 per cent to 5.6 per cent. The new rate applies to the first $50,363 of taxable income in 2026, meaning the change also affects people earning more than that amount.

However, it should be noted that the budget also increased personal tax credits, including raising the maximum B.C. tax reduction credit for lower-income residents by $115 to $690. These changes at least partly offset the higher tax rate for some taxpayers.

The B.C. Conservatives also criticized the freeze on income tax brackets. The BC NDP-led provincial government has suspended annual inflation adjustments to bracket thresholds for the 2027 through 2030 tax years, with adjustments scheduled to resume in 2031.

Without those adjustments, a worker whose pay rises only enough to keep up with inflation can still see more of their income fall into a higher tax bracket, despite having no greater purchasing power.

On the Provincial Sales Tax (PST), the Conservatives accused the BC NDP of temporarily shelving their planned expansion of the 7 per cent sales tax to more professional services — including accounting, architectural services, engineering and geotechnical services, and real estate services — just days before the snap election call while leaving the policy available to implement later. That PST expansion, announced in the 2026 budget early this year, was originally set to begin on Oct. 1.

“There’s a time to stay the course, and there’s a time to adjust. This is a time to adjust,” said Eby in a statement on Sept. 18, announcing the “pause” to the PST expansion.

“Delaying these changes until well after Trump’s disastrous trade war is over will give businesses some breathing room as they navigate tariffs and bans while pivoting to other markets.”

The party also criticized the removal of longstanding PST exemptions and Eby’s latest housing tax announcement — a new tax on developers and their unsold newly-built strata market ownership condominium homes.

Doerkson linked his tax pledge to a broader attack on the government’s handling of deteriorating public services, especially in healthcare.

The Conservative party’s announcement did not specify whether they would reverse the recent income tax increase, restore annual bracket adjustments before 2031, or permanently cancel the PST expansion.

It also did not include a financial plan explaining how the party would fund improvements to public services while maintaining its commitment against new taxes and tax increases.

Above all, the provincial government is facing a staggering annual deficit and escalating debt issues.

September 2026’s fiscal update projects a $13.8 billion deficit this year, followed by $12.7 billion in 2027/2028 and $12 billion in 2028/2029. There is still no balanced budget anywhere in that forecast — or at the very least, a meaningful year-over-year decrease in the size of the annual deficits toward the end of the decade — while total provincial debt is expected to reach $180.9 billion by the end of this fiscal year and almost $236 billion before the end of this decade.

In recent years, the B.C. government has seen its credit rating downgraded repeatedly by multiple credit rating agencies.

The provincial general election is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a week after the civic elections across B.C.

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