CTF Gas Tax Day Steals show at Ontario Legislature
CTF Ontario and Federal Director Kevin Gaudet was in person to hear his name mentioned by NDP, Conservative, and Liberal MPPs as they debated gas taxes in the Ontario legislature. The McGuinty Liberals smeared the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as working for the Conservatives, a tactic previously used by provincial governments of all stripes in other provinces.
Never mind that McGuinty himself signed a CTF pledge while in Opposition saying he would not raise or implement taxes and then introduced health premiums a few months later--a fact the current opposition was only too happy to remind McGuinty of. Of course, the incident inspired the Fibber mascot the CTF used to trail McGuinty throughout the 2007 election campaign.
Here's a segment from the Hansard for Thursday, May 20, 2010:
Mr. Frank Klees: To the Acting Premier: Can the Acting Premier tell us how much revenue on gasoline and diesel the McGuinty Liberals will collect from the Premier's new HST tax?
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: To the Minister of Finance.
Hon. Dwight Duncan: We have detailed, in great detail, the fact that, overall, Ontarians will pay less tax. They will pay less tax because-the member opposite does not want to acknowledge the substantial cuts in personal taxes, the substantial cuts in business taxes, the substantial cuts through the sales tax credit and the substantial increase in the Ontario child benefit.
The member will also see outlined, both in last year's budget and this year's budget, details with respect to our projection on revenues received from the HST as compared to the PST.
Those are thorough, they're full and they explain to Ontario the importance of creating 600,000 net new jobs over the next 10 years.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?
Mr. Frank Klees: Since the Minister of Finance doesn't seem to have the answer, Mr. Kevin Gaudet of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation does, and he's here with us today. Just minutes ago, the CTF released its 12th annual gas tax honesty report. Assessing HST on gasoline prices that hover at about a dollar per litre, the report concludes: "For the government it works out to a minimum of $1.6 billion in extra revenue...."
Based on that information, can the finance minister tell us what the impact of the HST burden will be on the average family in the province of Ontario?
Hon. Dwight Duncan: I reject the work as being partisan and don't accept either the underpinnings of it or its conclusions. Instead of Mr. Gaudet, I prefer to rely on the TD Bank econometrics, I prefer to rely on the Conference Board of Canada, on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-honest, unbiased and unvarnished opinions that recognize that overall, this tax package will create some 600,000 net new jobs over the next 10 years. It will identify another $47 billion in capital-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I recognize that it is a long weekend and a constituency week coming up. I would be very happy to facilitate an early departure for anyone.
Mr. Frank Klees: The attempt by the finance minister to characterize the work of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as partisan will be seen for what it is by the average Ontario family.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimates that a family driving a mid-sized car will pay an average of $246 a year more for the HST. Families in the GTA, rural Ontario and the north can expect the HST for fuel to cost them as much as $400 more. In addition, the province of Ontario, as the minister will know, has a huge fleet of vehicles, and every dollar of additional HST on that fleet comes out of where? The average family's payment of their taxes and HST.
I ask the minister once again: How much more is this government prepared to take out of the pockets of hard-working Ontario families?
Hon. Dwight Duncan: Let me re-emphasize: I reject categorically that assertion by the member opposite and by the source he quoted. I prefer to rely on the good work of Mike Harris and Preston Manning with respect to this tax package. I prefer to rely on the support we had from Jim Flaherty, from Lois Brown, from Larry Miller, from Mike Wallace-from all of the federal Conservatives who I think have actually read and taken a balanced look at this issue.
This is absolutely the right policy for a stronger future for Ontario. Most Ontarians will see their taxes come down. Most Ontarians will recognize that our future will be better and bigger and stronger if we stand firm and do everything we can to create those 600,000 net new jobs.
Mr. Ted Arnott: My question is for the Acting Premier. Why did the Premier sign the taxpayer protection pledge in 2003 and, in doing so, promise not to raise taxes without the explicit consent of Ontario voters?
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: What I can say is that we committed to invest in health care, education and those services that the people of Ontario told us they valued the most-
Mr. John Yakabuski: I gave you the answer, Speaker.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): You did not ask the question; your colleague did.
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I was just reiterating our commitments and priorities as government, and that is to invest in the services the people of Ontario said they valued the most.
When we were first elected to government-the members on the other side of the House don't like to admit this-we inherited a deficit, something that was hidden from the people of Ontario and something that we were forced to deal with. Also, as we have been in government, we have been hit with the single most significant economic event-the recession. It has been global and it has required that, as a government, we look at how we can-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?
Mr. Ted Arnott: Actually, the Premier signed the taxpayer protection pledge at least twice, in 1999 and 2003. Since signing an oath that he wouldn't raise taxes unless he had the consent of the people, the Premier has created the health tax, what amounts to a backdoor energy tax, taxes on electronics, plastic bags and now the HST. Voters of Toronto were not asked for consent to increase taxes for property transfers, vehicle registration and waste removal that the Premier knew he was enabling.
The Premier had a choice before he put his promise in writing in 2003. Why did he promise Ontario voters in writing that he would not raise taxes without their consent and then repeatedly do exactly that?
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I'm happy to have this opportunity to remind the members opposite that what we have done in our most recent budget is deliver the single largest tax cut for the people of Ontario. We have reduced corporate taxes. We have reduced business taxes. We have eliminated the small business surtax. We have reduced personal income tax: 93% of Ontarians will receive a tax cut.
The people of Ontario understand that we have established a balance here. We will continue to invest in health care, in education and in those services that are most important to them. At the same time, we are delivering tax cuts to those who need them the most. We are stimulating our economy by providing tax cuts to our businesses and to corporations so that our economy will be sustainable going forward, that we will be able-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Final supplementary?
Mr. Ted Arnott: In the coffee shops of Ontario, politicians who make election promises that they have no intention of keeping are called a word I'm not permitted to say in this House, but it begins with the same letter as Liberal.
The Premier's track record fuels a cynicism that led the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to say in its report, "The only thing that should surprise Ontarians (about Dalton McGuinty) is if he doesn't surprise them with new taxes after every election."
The next time the Premier offers his solemn pledge to the people of Ontario on taxes, who on earth is going to believe him?
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: What our Premier and our government-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Order. Stop the clock.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I just can't help but think of an interesting video I watched last night with a line that I use that says, "Take it outside."
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: What people in the coffee shop remember is when the party on the other side was in government, when they said they weren't going to close hospitals, and they did; when they said they had balanced the books, and they hadn't. At the same time, in the face of all of that, they decimated those services that the people of Ontario valued the most.
Since we've come to government, we have invested in those services that the people of Ontario say that they value. We have hired nurses. We have hired teachers. We've hired doctors. We've hired water inspectors. We all know what happened when water inspectors were fired out the door. We've hired meat inspectors. When we came to government, there were 10 meat inspectors in the province of Ontario; now there are over 130. Those are the kinds of investments that the people in the coffee shop are interested in. That's what we've-
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The Speaker's almost at the point-although I don't have a family, I understand that if a baby cries a lot, you just let the baby cry itself out, and it will fall asleep. Perhaps for members of all sides of the House, we'll try something a little different today, and you'll talk yourselves out, talk yourselves all into silence.