MEDIAN INCOME UP IN BC - STATSCAN
Statistics Canada released figures from 2003 today measuring the “median employment income” in cities across Canada. The figures show small decreases in these numbers for Victoria, Vancouver and Abbotsford.
However, if you look at the median incomes for the province as a whole, they are actually UP by 1.8%, from $22,300 in 2002 to $22,700 in 2003. Overall, median incomes for the province have increased 6.6% since 2000 – from $21,300 to $22,700 in 2003. (Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table 111-0008).
This means that median incomes are clearly up in other areas of the province, a complete contradiction of the NDP’s assertion that regions outside the Lower Mainland are not benefiting from economic activity.
It’s also clear the NDP are once again selectively using figures to mislead British Columbians by ignoring what really matters – what families take home at the end of the day.
The data released today shows that average provincial income tax payable declined by 25 per cent, and average after-tax income INCREASED by 11 per cent between 2000 and 2003.
Finally, the NDP is consistently running away from their own record. Under the NDP median family income FELL by 2.2% in British Columbia (1990 – 2000) while it INCREASED 0.8% for Canada as a whole. Take-home pay dropped by $1,738 under the NDP between 1990 and 1999 – a drop of nearly 9%.
With such a weak grasp of basic economic facts, its no wonder the NDP drove the province from first to worst in the 1990s...
