THUNDER BAY – Queen’s Park – NDP Finance Critic Peter Tabuns says the last thing Thunder Bay families need or want is a new tax on everyday essentials. Tabuns is responding to statements made by Thunder Bay MPPs Michael Gravelle and Bill Mauro on Thursday.
“The HST is going to cost Thunder Bay families $800 every year,” said Tabuns. “Less money in the pockets of consumers will hurt small businesses, posing a serious threat to consumer confidence and the economic recovery.”
Tabuns states that a recent poll by Angus Reid found that 79 per cent of Ontario small businesses oppose the HST. “People and small businesses say this tax is going to hurt them and won’t create jobs,” said Tabuns. “Apparently the only people who support this unfair tax are Liberal MPPs and their big business buddies.”
Tabuns said that Manitoba rejected the HST because of the impact on consumers and the economy. In a research paper issued in December, the Manitoba government stated, “Manitoba does not support harmonization…because of the potential risk to the economic recovery and the burden it would place on Manitoba families at a time of economic uncertainty.”
Tabuns said “Thunder Bay families won’t be fooled by local Liberals’ slippery rhetoric on the HST. When gas prices jump on July 1st and it costs more to get to work, Thunder Bay families will be reminded again that their local MPPs are out of touch and not on their side.”