For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2011
Windsor – Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett is taking time during Finance Committee pre-budget hearings to warn Ontario residents to brace for a slew of possible new environmental taxes in the upcoming McGuinty budget.
“We’ve seen this premier’s M.O., he’s quite simply hardwired to tax,” Barrett affirmed . “The HST and health tax were foisted upon us with nary a mention during past pre-budget hearings, and the eco-tax on 9,000 household goods was snuck through under the shadow of the HST – given the track record I’m concerned what new cash grabs this government is preparing to launch.”
Barrett and Opposition Leader Tim Hudak have warned about the potential for three new environment-related taxes including: a carbon tax, an eco-tax on vehicles, and a water rate hike.
“As in the past, we won’t hear a word about their new tax plans during pre-budget hearings,” noted Barrett. “I’m hopeful a week full of testimony from Ontario residents, businesses and organizations will convince government members that we simply can’t afford McGuinty digging any deeper into our pockets.”
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629
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.