NEWS

QUEEN'S PARK - Today, Ontario PC MPP Lisa MacLeod marked the start of provincial pre-budget consultations by warning that - if Dalton McGuinty's track record is any indication - Ontario families should be on alert for at least three new taxes in the upcoming Liberal budget.  She said that Dalton McGuinty's record clearly shows that he is hardwired to tax.
 
Although the McGuinty Liberals didn't mention the HST and Health Tax in past pre-budget consultations, they subsequently slapped Ontario families with the largest income and sales taxes in the province's history.  When it came to the Liberals' eco-tax on 9,000 household goods, Dalton McGuinty tried to sneak it by Ontario families in the shadow of the HST - without even a mention in his budget. This year, the McGuinty Liberals may impose a carbon tax, an eco-tax on vehicles, and a water rate hike on hardworking Ontario families.
 
By contrast, Tim Hudak and the PC Caucus have committed to giving Ontario families a break, and will provide a clear choice between relieving the burden on Ontario families, and more tax hikes from Dalton McGuinty.  The Ontario PCs will rein in government spending while protecting core services like frontline health care.
 
QUOTES

"Whether it's the HST, the Health Tax, or the eco-tax, Dalton McGuinty has never met a tax he didn't like.  He's hardwired to tax."
-- Lisa MacLeod, MPP Nepean-Carleton, critic for Revenue and Government Accountability
 
"We don't expect the McGuinty Liberals to raise the prospect of new tax hikes during pre-budget consultations this week, but no one should be surprised to see more tax hikes in their budget."
-- Lisa MacLeod, MPP Nepean-Carleton, critic for Revenue and Government Accountability

QUICK FACTS

• Page 23 of the Ministry of Environment's report entitled From Waste to Worth outlines a proposed rollout for new items to be included in the eco-tax program over the next five years, including vehicles.  This report has now mysteriously vanished from the McGuinty government's Web site.
• In December 2009, Liberal MPP David Caplan introduced a Private Member's Bill that would have forced municipalities to create separate municipal corporations to manage their water and wastewater services.  Media reports suggested that the legislation would add $50 a month to residents' water bills.
• In response to the Environmental Commissioners report on May 31, 2010, then-Minister John Gerretsen did not shut the door to a potential carbon tax: "Well I think there have been some discussions as to whether or not cap-and-trade's the way to go and certainly a carbon tax is something to look at but it's ultimately going to be government policy as to whether or not it's going to be implemented or not."