Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that his government has “always exercised fiscal restraint,” as he prepares for the Liberals’ fall economic update next week that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is saying needs to include a plan to balance the budget, as well as relief from scheduled carbon tax increases.
“I propose a compromise. No more hikes,” said Poilievre during a press conference on Friday as he made his short list of demands known ahead of the fall economic statement.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to present next week what she promised would be a “responsible fiscal plan” which would also allow the government to “invest in what Canadians need right now.” She promised the update would focus on affordability and housing.
Poilievre blamed government spending for many of the problems afflicting Canada right now, such as record food bank usage and tent cities appearing across the country.
“(Trudeau) has added over $600 billion of inflationary debt, more debt than all prior prime ministers combined, doubling our debt. He’s flooded our economy with easy money, which has bid up the cost of the goods we buy and the interest we pay,” said Poilievre.
(deficits drive up the cost of living by pushing up inflation and interest rates. Government spending in a tight economy competes with consumers and businesses for scarce goods and services, hiking prices for everyone)
“On top of that, he’s brought any massive carbon tax on gas, heat, and everything that is transported by truck. The consequences have been devastating.” Etc…
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to present next week what she promised would be a 'responsible fiscal plan'
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BY PIERRE POILIEVRE
torontosun.com
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a habit of saying he’s “working to make life more affordable.”
Trudeau is set to raise his federal excise tax on alcohol again in 2024. This time by 4.7%.
Taxes in Canada already make up about half the price of beer, two-thirds of the price of wine and more than three-quarters of the price of spirits.
That means if you buy a 24-pack of pilsner, a couple bottles of Pinot and a bottle of vodka, you can expect to pay about $120. More than $75 of that is tax.
In fact, Canadians pay five times more tax on a case of beer than our friends south of the border. In Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador the tax on a case of beer costs more than the total price of a case in half of American states.
The feds have been bingeing on alcohol tax hikes since the 2017 budget. That year, the Trudeau government introduced an automatic tax hike escalator. That means the federal excise tax automatically increases with inflation every year on April 1.
With inflation having reached a 40-year high, Canadians are facing a steep tax hike in 2024.
When the escalator tax was first introduced, there wasn’t much of a fuss because inflation was lower. But even small tax hikes can become big bills over time. After next year’s tax hike, the federal government’s alcohol excise taxes will have increased 19% because of the automatic annual tax hike first imposed in 2017. Budget 2017, the government has increased its tax take without MPs voting on the increase. That’s fundamentally undemocratic.
Trudeau could stop next year’s tax hike with a stroke of a pen.
In last year’s budget, the feds watered down the scheduled 6.3% tax hike to 2%. It took the smallest possible stumble in the right direction.
Polling shows the rising cost of living is the single greatest economic issue facing Canadians. Any government serious about affordability would cancel the upcoming tax increase and scrap its automatic tax escalator.
Democracy requires votes on tax hikes. That’s why we have the House of Commons full of MPs who are chosen by their constituents and who take $194,000 in taxpayer-funded salaries. But the automatic tax increases that bypass our MPs are a mockery of our democratic processes.
In fact, the only time MPs were able to vote on the most recent alcohol tax increase, they overwhelmingly voted to cancel the tax hike. Trudeau simply ignored the non-binding motion and the democratic will of Parliament.
Any government serious about affordability would cancel the upcoming tax increase and scrap the automatic tax escalator
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