The Alberta NDP has brought its entire caucus to Fort McMurray to start a town hall tour about the provincial budget.
They set up at the CEP Union hall to hear what people are concerned will be cut in next month’s budget.
Leader Brian Mason says the Premier is wrong to even hint at the possibility of a provincial sales tax.
“We think it’s a regressive tax,” he said. “It hits working families hard, and lets those with vast amounts of wealth escape their responsibilities.
“We want to restore the cuts to corporate taxes and to income tax for the very wealthy.”
Mason says their solution is higher income tax on the wealthy – but that doesn’t mean oil sands workers.
“We’re talking about a surcharge on incomes of $250,000 or more,” he clarified. “But we’re also talking about corporate income tax, and don’t forget that corporate income tax is only paid on the profits, and corporations in Alberta are, in many cases, extremely profitable.”
Mason says the government’s relied too much on oil royalties.
“When that revenue was plentiful, they cut taxes for the wealthy and the corporations and it cost billions of dollars,” he explained. “Now that revenue from royalties isn’t there any more, and we’re all being asked to pay the price. That’s not fair.”
He says he expects lots of funding that was promised to areas like Fort McMurray is at risk in next month’s budget.
February 11, 2013
