UCP candidates pledge not to impose a PST or raise taxes

EDMONTON, Alta.: The majority of UCP leadership candidates have signed the Canadians Taxpayers Federation pledge promising not to impose a provincial sales tax or raise taxes.

“The last thing Albertans need is a new PST or a tax hike,” said Kris Sims, Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “It’s likely one of these candidates will be the next premier and now we have them on the record promising they will not impose a PST and they will not hike taxes.”

The pledge signings took place in Edmonton just before the candidates hit the stage for the UCP leadership debate.

The candidates who signed the pledge promising no PST and no tax hikes are:
 

• Leela Aheer
• Brian Jean
• Todd Loewen
• Rebecca Schulz
• Danielle Smith
• Travis Toews

“These pledges pack a punch,” said Sims. “In the previous leadership race in 2017, candidates promised to scrap the provincial carbon tax within 100 days – and it happened.”

Alberta is the only province in Canada that does not have a PST, saving Albertans billions of dollars per year.

By comparison, the B.C. government takes about $9 billion per year from taxpayers via its PST which is applied to everything from second hand clothes to refrigerators.

Saskatchewan taxpayers fork over more than $2 billion per year when they buy everything from used cars to Roughriders tickets.