---
title: "BC Conservatives promise $1,000 annual income tax cut by raising personal exemption"
description: "The Conservative Party of BC announced on October 8 that a Conservative government would raise the basic personal amount from $13,216 to $32,000, saving eligible earners about $1,000 per year."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/conservative-income-tax-cut-basic-personal-amount-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:06:54.273Z"
---

The Conservative Party of British Columbia said on October 8 that it would raise the provincial basic personal amount from $13,216 to $32,000 if elected, a change Daily Hive reported would reduce provincial income taxes by about $1,000 per year for eligible earners.

Conservative leader [Lorne Doerkson](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson) made the announcement at a press conference held inside a grocery store in Surrey. "Under my government, you'll keep $1,000 more of what you earn," Doerkson said, as quoted by Daily Hive.

The basic personal amount is the portion of income on which the provincial government does not charge income tax. Raising it reduces the tax a person owes, but does not generate a payment for anyone who already pays no provincial tax. Daily Hive noted that people earning above $40,000 per year would receive the full saving.

For a couple where both partners qualify, the party says the combined saving would reach about $2,000 per year, which the Daily Hive article described as about $167 per month. The party claims its proposed basic personal amount would be the highest of any province in Canada. That claim has not been independently verified.

Daily Hive reported that the Conservatives have not provided an implementation date, an estimate of the annual cost to provincial revenues, or a detailed plan for covering that cost. Doerkson described the proposal as a response to household financial pressures and criticised the BC NDP's recent income tax changes, which raised the top provincial tax rate for high earners. The Daily Hive article did not include a response from the NDP.

The basic personal amount works as a non-refundable tax credit. A person who earns little enough to already pay no provincial income tax would see no direct benefit from this change alone. Whether a voter benefits depends on their taxable income and other credits they use.

The [Conservative Party of BC](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc) has previously announced plans covering emergency room staffing, public safety, car insurance, and Metro Vancouver governance during this campaign.

Voting day in the BC provincial election is Saturday, October 24, 2026. Advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21. Voters can confirm their registration and find their polling place through Elections BC at elections.bc.ca.

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