• Taxpayers Federation responds to Speech from the Throne

WINNIPEG: Today's Speech from the Throne offered no new tax relief and billions of dollars in new spending initiatives says the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The NDP government has turned on the spending taps leaving taxpayers wondering how all of these new social programs will be paid for.

"The NDP government has made it very clear they are going to call an election next spring with over $9 billion in spending announcements," stated Provincial Director Adrienne Batra. "With no new tax relief offered up, taxpayers will have to wait until the 2007 provincial budget to find out if they get to keep any of their own money."

The Throne Speech reiterated tax measures that had been previously announced including a drop in the middle tax rate to 13 percent and corporate tax rates to 14 percent. "These measures have been praised by the CTF when they were announced in the 2006 budget, but there is not much to celebrate today," added Batra.

The Speech from the Throne is a document that is typically reserved for stating what the government's intention will be for the next legislative session. But the NDP government used today's speech to announce significant spending on social programs including the tuition rebate program and the development of Conawapa Dam with a price tag of $5 billion. Under the province's tuition rebate program, which has not been costed out, graduates can receive up to 60 percent of their tuition back for six years.

"There are hundreds of graduates leaving Manitoba each year because of the lack of job opportunities. Instead of addressing the heavy tax burden that businesses have to deal with restricting them from creating and expanding their businesses, the NDP government has chosen to bribe students with taxpayer's money in order for them to stay in the province," said Batra. "This is a bad policy and should be abandoned."

Other spending initiatives announced in today's speech include a $2,000 rebate for the purchase of hybrid cars, millions more for health care, and a much needed review of regional health authorities. "The Opposition Tories during their convention a few weeks ago threw out the idea of a rebate for those in Manitoba that purchase hybrid vehicles, it was a bad idea coming from the PCs, and it is still a bad idea now that it has been stolen by the NDP."

The province did commit some much needed funding for additional police officers, tools to fight gang violence and our crumbling infrastructure.

"Overall, today's speech lacked a clear vision for the economic future of Manitoba. As the NDP government continues to pat itself on the back for a job not done, Manitoba will continue to lag behind other western provinces who are attracting many of our best and brightest," concluded Batra.