The tax revolt that appears to be simmering in this province has the potential to turn the provincial political scene on its head, with serious ramifications for our two main parties and the interest groups that support them.
It can be argued that at some point, voters will feel "enough is enough" and lash out in anger at the so-called establishment, which can include both the government and the official Opposition.
I can't help but wonder whether we're reaching that point now.
The latest example of this anger about taxes can be seen with reaction to the proposed two-cents-a-litre gas tax in Metro Vancouver to help pay for the new Evergreen rapid transit line to the Tri-Cities.
Now, we've seen protests against gas taxes before. They usually feature a lot of bluster and hot air at the beginning, before dying down as motorists adapt amid constantly fluctuating gas price changes.
But the gas tax proposal comes after more than two years of public dialogue (and anger) over the harmonized sales tax, so the electorate has been focused on the issue of taxation.
Added to this potent mix is lingering resentment over ferry fare increases, property tax hikes, and looming hikes to B.C. Hydro and ICBC rates.
And this time a political party has seized upon the issue. While both the B.C. Liberals and the NDP support the proposed gas tax, the new leader of the B.C. Conservative Party has jumped into the fray.
John Cummins has blasted the tax and has proposed the mayors who are pushing it on motorists should go back and shave one per cent off their own municipal budgets.
His proposal has been ridiculed and condemned by the mayors (Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said Cummins' idea was "ignorant"), who think their own budgets are already pared to the bone.
But I suspect Cummins is more in tune with public opinion than the mayors or the two "established" political parties.
Does anyone really believe it is absolutely unthinkable and impossible to cut spending at the municipal level?
Spending has climbed by a faster rate at the municipal level, compared to the provincial or federal levels.
One big reason for that are the incredibly generous collective agreements municipal governments have signed over the years with various public sector unions.
The benefits packages for unionized employees generally dwarf anything seen in the private sector, and therefore are much more expensive to pay for. Look for Cummins (and others) to zero in on this kind of issue in the months ahead.
This is where things can get sticky for the NDP and the party's supporters. A tax revolt, if it takes off, does no favours for the political left in this province.
If governments are forced to cut spending (or reduce the rate of increase) rather than raise taxes or other fees, the ones who get squeezed the most are public sector employees and government programs (which often involve social programs).
The NDP can always revert to raising taxes on businesses and corporations, but that simply reinforces the lingering impression among some people that the party is anti-business, which is not a viable long-term political strategy.
Cummins will continue to fan the flames of a tax revolt and as he does, he will build a public profile. When the election comes, he will no doubt steal votes from the B.C. Liberals, perhaps enough to give the NDP an election win.
But Cummins could also eat into NDP support as well, drawing on anti-government voters who have sided with New Democrats in the past.
If the anti-tax sentiments out there persist, they could end up making life miserable for which-ever party forms government - whether it's the NDP or the B.C. Liberals.
And that, in turn, could also prove disastrous for those whose paycheques are funded by taxpayers.
It should be a nobrainer.
This is why the government should speed up the process to reappoint MaryEllen Turpel-Lafond as this province's independent children's representative. The NDP wants her back, and presumably the B.C. Liberals do as well.
So hopefully her reappointment doesn't get bogged down in procedural bureaucracy. Turpel-Lafond is owed some quick certainty on this question.
Keith Baldrey is chief political correspondent for Global B.C.
