OTTAWA – As Finance Minister Jim Flaherty makes pre-budget overtures to the NDP, Liberal MPs today called on the NDP to demand the cancellation of Conservative corporate tax breaks at a time of deficit in favour of easing the economic pressures on average Canadian families.
“Choosing families over large corporations is a matter of principle that the NDP can’t barter away,” said Liberal Public Works Critic Geoff Regan. “We’re calling on the NDP to take a principled stand against billions in more corporate tax giveaways during a time of deficit – money that would be better directed towards relieving the burden on middle-class families.”
On the first anniversary of Stephen Harper’s decision to shut down Parliament, Liberal MPs decried the Conservative government’s choice to shut out hard-pressed Canadian families by forging ahead with billions in more debt to give Canada’s biggest corporations a tax break on January 1st. Canada’s corporate tax rates are already among the most competitive in the G7 and 25% lower than the rate in the United States.
“One year ago today, the Conservatives shut down Parliament with a promise to ‘recalibrate’ their agenda, but have since delivered nothing to ease the burden on middle-class Canadian families,” said Liberal Finance Critic Scott Brison. “Instead, the government has refused to budge from their original plan of adding to their record deficit in order to pay for more corporate tax breaks that we can’t afford right now.”
Liberals have called for measures in the upcoming budget that will alleviate the economic pressures on Canadian families struggling with record personal debt, like support for family care, post-secondary education, and pension reform.
“We’re disappointed that the Conservatives ignored our advice to stop borrowing money to cut taxes for our largest corporations,” said Mr. Regan. “Now it falls to the NDP to take a principled stand in favour of middle-class families by refusing to support the Conservatives’ unaffordable corporate tax cut plan.”
