Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak speaks at a luncheon hosted by The Economic Club of Canada in Toronto on Friday September 9, 2011.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
A Progressive Conservative Ontario government would not raise taxes, leader Tim Hudak said Saturday in front of dozens of televisions showing Dalton McGuinty making the same vow eight years ago.
At a morning press conference in Toronto, Mr. Hudak said: "I will not raise taxes, in fact I will give families a break." The party has vowed to lower personal income taxes, remove the harmonized sales tax from hydro and home heating bills and eliminate the debt retirement charge from hydro bills.
The pledge was made in an audio-visual store, with a wall of televisions showing Liberal leader Mr. McGuinty signing his 2003 "taxpayer protection promise." Reporters were given mounted copies of the document – the media copies were signed with erasable marker.
The Liberals have said they will not raise taxes if re-elected. But they are being dogged on previous tax hikes – the party introduced a "health premium" shortly after the 2003 election that effectively raised taxes, and more recently introduced the harmonized sales tax that broadened the range of items subject to provincial sales tax.
The NDP have offered similar tax breaks on heating and hydro as the Conservatives in this campaign, and a small decrease in the amount of HST paid on gasoline. Both the Liberals and Conservative have plans to lower corporate tax rates.
"Dalton McGunity will increase taxes," he said. "It's just in his DNA .. and the NDP? Come on – they have a 50 year history of calling for higher and higher taxes. If you're looking for a tax cut from them, you are barking up the wrong tree."
The Liberals have criticized the Conservative platform, suggesting it has a $14-billion funding gap. The Conservatives, meanwhile, have said that all of its promises can be met by cutting 2 per cent out of everything except health and education and eliminating "fraud and waste" from the system.
There was one tax promise Mr. Hudak couldn't make Saturday. During a routine photo op at Hollywood Gelato, a staff member asked the party leader if he would consider eliminating the HST altogether.
"I wish we could," he said, before handing her a copy of his party's platform and paying his $9 tab.