Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece has called out the Dalton McGuinty Liberal government for what he sees is shaping up to be yet another broken promise.
A new report by the Conference Board of Canada casts serious doubt on the government’s promise to balance the provincial budget by 2017-18. It will likely take the government at least another four years, that report suggests, to wipe out Ontario’s deficit.
“It just shows we can’t trust this government’s numbers,” said Pettapiece. “I’m very concerned that the Liberals might take the easy way out, as they’ve done in the past, and raise taxes.”
A Conference Board of Canada News release confirmed that if health care costs continue growing according to recent history (5.6% per year), the government would have to hike the provincial portion of the HST by as much as 7% to balance the budget on schedule.
“To generate additional revenue under this scenario, the provincial sales tax rate would have to increase from eight per cent to 15 per cent to allow the provincial government to balance the budget by 2017-18,” the Conference Board stated.
Pettapiece said, “Premier McGuinty should immediately rule out a sales tax hike. Families have already paid more than their share for his government’s financial mismanagement.”
He also called on the government to protect the health care services.
“Health care is among the most important provincial responsibilities,” he said.
The Progressive Conservative caucus has put forward ideas that its members suggest could help reduce the size and cost of government.
That includes a public sector wage freeze, competition for public services delivery and reform to the province’s public sector arbitration system.
“The McGuinty government is out of ideas, and so I hope they’ll borrow ours,” Pettapiece concluded.
