REALITY CHECK: Wildrose’s fact finding in Saskatchewan is all about a PST

Immediate Release

March 30, 2017

REALITY CHECK: Wildrose’s fact finding in Saskatchewan is all about a PST

EDMONTON – We wish Wildrose MLA Prasad Panda well on his fact-finding mission in Regina. However, we could have helped him save some time and the taxpayers a little money. He’s going to find Saskatchewan has a 6% PST- a tax on basically everything. Saskatchewan taxes children’s clothing and family essentials, new home construction and home improvements, and even restaurant meals and snacks.

Is Mr. Panda going to learn about:

• How best to implement a PST?
• How to raise this tax on the most vulnerable while lowering taxes on profitable corporations?
• How to lower Alberta’s tax advantage over other provinces, which is now more than $11 billion over Saskatchewan?

In a difficult economy, this would be the wrong time to have this kind of tax.  As TD Bank reported just this week, Alberta is expected to lead Canada’s economic growth in 2017 and 2018 due in part to the NDP budget and job creation plan.

As TD noted, Alberta’s economy is showing many signs of recovery. In 2017 and 2018 the province will lead the country in economic growth, in particular because of the government’s stimulus budget. They also noted Saskatchewan’s economic recovery will take longer in part due to their raised and expanded PST as well as their budget’s cuts to spending in important areas like education and capital projects.

We sincerely hope this fact-finding mission does not return with a new song in the Wildrose’s heart – that of a PST.

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Media Inquiries

Eric Rice, Communications Officer

Alberta’s NDP Caucus

780-644-1516