Government Fudges the Numbers
If you are looking for reliable numbers on the provinces fiscal health and commitment to the environment don’t look to the BC Budget. That is the message from BC Watchdog group Dogwood Initiative.
“We first noticed the budget discrepancies in the government subsidies to the oil and gas industry.” said Will Horter, Dogwood Initiative’s Executive Director. “The largest line item in the february Budget, $237 million in credits for marginal producers, simply disappeared.”
Investigation of other expenditures related to the environment revealed similar problems with how the government tallied the numbers. Comparisons between the government’s stated actual expenditure for 2008 reveal significant discrepancies between what was reported in February and this budget.
Sample discrepancies: ($ 000)
| Feb 2009 Budget | Sept 2009 Update | % difference |
Environmental Stewardship | 40,601 | 34,714 | 14.50% |
Water Stewardship | 63,878 | 14,925 | 76.63% |
Environmental Protection | 13,075 | 7,468 | 42.88% |
“The Budget is supposed to provide a clear roadmap. Instead the government is throwing mud in our eyes,” said Horter