The B.C. government ended its fiscal year with an operating surplus of $1.5 billion.

The 2018-19 public accounts released Thursday by Finance Minister Carole James show that the surplus was about $1.3 billion higher than anticipated, driven by $2.9 billion in increased revenue primarily from personal and corporate income taxes.

James said the previous Liberal government relied on an out-of-control real estate market to boost its budget while her NDP government has a long-term economic plan.

“In fact, my bigger worry… is running an economy based on a speculative real estate market and skyrocketing housing prices, which meant that people couldn’t build their lives here in British Columbia,” she said.

Source: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-posts-1-5b-surplus-as-tax-revenue-increases-and-real-estate-market-cools