VICTORIA — A boost in personal income tax revenue increased British Columbia's bottom line for the second quarter.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong says income tax was up by $200 million, provincial sales tax increased by $74 million and other taxes added $17 million to the province's coffers for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
De Jong could not say how much it will cost the province to comply with a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision requiring the government to deal with class sizes and special-needs students by hiring more teachers.
De Jong says talks with the B.C. teachers' union are underway and the government won't unilaterally declare how much money will be involved after being sued for acting on its own in the first place.
