Letter to the Editor, Premier Selinger and his government have introduced the new NDP vote-tax II which will take Manitoba taxpayers money out of provincial revenues to support the operations of political parties. BASED ON CURRENT STANDINGS THE NDP SHARE OF VOTE-TAX II WOULD BE OVER $1 MILLION BETWEEN ELECTIONS. ON PRINCIPLE, THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY WILL NOT BE TAKING THE VOTE-TAX. POLITICAL PARTIES IN MANITOBA ALREADY HAVE A PORTION OF ELECTION EXPENSES COVERED BY PUBLIC FUNDS, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER PROVINCE IN CANADA. THE PC PARTY OF MANITOBA WILL WORK HARD AND EARN THE SUPPORT OF MANITOBA TAXPAYERS AND WE WILL NOT SUPPORT A VOTE-TAX THAT IS IMPOSED ON MANITOBA TAXPAYERS TO FUND THE OPERATIONS OF POLITICAL PARTIES. THE NDP ARE A TIRED PARTY THAT LACKS THE GUMPTION TO GO OUT AND RAISE THEIR OWN MONEY. COMMUNITY GROUPS, SERVICE CLUBS AND VOLUNTEERS RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR PROJECTS ALL OVER MANITOBA, WHY WOULD THE NDP PLACE THEMSELVES ABOVE THOSE HARD-WORKING GROUPS WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A VOTE-TAX? AT A TIME WHEN THE PERSONAL CARE HOME IN NEEPAWA HAS A HIGH VACANCY RATE BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE OF NURSES; WHEN NEW MOTHERS IN THE SWAN RIVER AREA HAVE TO GO TO SASKATCHEWAN TO HAVE THEIR BABIES BECAUSE OF A LACK OF DOCTORS; WHEN AN X-RAY MACHINE IN MACGREGOR WHICH NEEDS $2,000 OF REPAIRS CAN’T BE FIXED FOR LACK OF FUNDS; WHEN A BRIDGE ON PTH #5 SOUTH OF STE. ROSE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO ONE LANE FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS; WHEN VICTIMS OF THE LAKE MB FLOOD ARE BEING REFUSED PROMISED COMPENSATION, AND THE PROVINCIAL HIGHWAY SNOW-CLEARING BUDGET HAS BEEN REDUCED AT GREAT RISK TO THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC, THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED ‘WHY IS THE NDP VOTE-TAX A PRIORITY’? THE NDP HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DEAL WITH THE ABOVE CONCERNS AND MANY MORE BUT THEY HAVE DEALT WITH THEIR OWN PRIORITY OF FUNDING THEIR POLITICAL PARTY AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE BY IMPOSING THE VOTE-TAX THAT WILL PUT $1 MILLION INTO NDP COFFERS. THE VOTE-TAX IS WRONG AND THE NDP KNOW IT. IT IS TIME TO STOP THIS ANTI-DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE AND KILL THE VOTE-TAX. STUART BRIESE, MLA AGASSIZ