Time to Scrap Dalton McGuinty’s Eco Tax Plans

For Immediate Release:
September 20, 2010

QUEEN’S PARK – Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett says Dalton McGuinty only has one month left to answer Opposition demands to scrap the eco tax before his 90-day backtrack runs out.
“It’s now been two months since McGuinty announced they were taking a 90-day timeout from their eco tax grab to consult with consumers,” Barrett stated. “Instead of using the time to consult with Ontario families, McGuinty has twiddled his thumbs hoping we’ll forget the eco tax debacle before finds another backdoor to sneak the fee back on to our bottom lines.”

Much like Dalton McGuinty’s smart meters, which do nothing to conserve energy or help the environment, his eco tax does nothing to divert waste from landfills. Instead, they are both simply additional tax burdens that Dalton McGuinty has placed on Ontario families to fuel his runaway spending.

“It’s time this Premier did the right and honourable thing – Scrap this eco tax!!” Barrett exclaimed.

Opposition Leader Tim Hudak said if Dalton McGuinty used the four weeks remaining on his 90-day review to go out and do what he promised – talk to families and business owners – he will hear that they can no longer afford his expensive experiments like the eco tax and smart meter tax machines.
“After two months, Dalton McGuinty has still failed to consult with Ontario families or provide them with some honest answers about his eco-tax plan” Hudak concluded. “It’s clear that Dalton McGuinty has every intention of bringing back this tax grab on families and businesses.”

Many will recall that on July 1, the same day Dalton McGuinty ushered in his HST tax grab, he was caught trying to sneak in an eco tax on 9,000 items, including several ‘green’ products, such as grass seed, energy saving light bulbs and rechargeable batteries.

After just 20 days, following tremendous public pressure, the McGuinty Liberals were forced to backtrack on their eco tax – announcing a 90-day review of the program would be conducted in which they would “seek consumer input on the design of a new program.”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629