NEWS RELEASE
April 24, 1996 For Immediate Release
LIBERAL WAY OF "ABOLISHING" THE GST IS TO HIDE IT IN THE PRICE OF THE PRODUCT
"Can you really trust the Liberals to tell you the truth on the GST when they break election promises?"
Ottawa - Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, issued a warning to Saskatchewan residents that they are about to be bribed with their own money just like the Atlantic provinces were. The three eastern provinces accepted a bribe of almost a billion dollars from the federal government over the next four years to harmonize the GST with the PST. "I know the Saskatchewan Finance Minister publicly stated her opposition to the "harmonization" scheme but once hundreds of millions of dollars are on the table anything can happen. Who is exactly sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Breitkreuz. "Before we get suckered into paying a federal bribe to the province with our own money, I encourage all voters in Saskatchewan to demand a few answers," suggested Breitkreuz.
Key Questions for Saskatchewan Voters on the "Harmonized" GST
1. Will the combined GST/PST rate actually cost consumers more because it will be applied on many more goods and services than the current PST?
2. The combined GST/PST will now be a "hidden" tax. How long will it take before we see the governments increase the tax? You all know how the government loves to increase those "hidden" gas taxes.
3. Where is the money coming from to pay the federal bribe? Will it be borrowed from foreign lenders or come from even higher taxes?
4. Will the combined GST/PST result in lower administration costs for the businesses who are forced to collect them?
5. Taxes kill jobs. How many jobs will be killed by this new combined GST/PST?
"One thing I'm sure of is that the Liberals cannot be trusted to tell voters the truth on the GST. Chretien, Copps and Martin were in complete harmony in the 1993 election when they promised to 'kill, scrap, abolish' the GST. Now, one day after John Nunziata is kicked out of the Liberal Caucus because his Party failed to keep their promise, Finance Minister Paul Martin is trying to apologize for promising to "abolish" the GST during what he calls "the heat" of the election campaign. How can voters ever trust what the Liberals promise during election campaigns?" asked Breitkreuz.
"John Nunziata voted the way his constituent's told him to and he was kicked out of his own party by the Prime Minister -- this is the Liberal way. Reform MPs are obligated by principles which are enshrined in the Reform Party Constitution to put their constituent's wishes ahead of Party policy -- this is the Reform way. This will be the defining issue in the next federal election," predicted Breitkreuz.
"Canadians don't want a different name for the GST, nor do they want to change a 'visible' GST into as 'hidden' GST/PST. What they want is lower taxes! The Liberals have raised taxes 22 times since the 1993 election and will have increased tax revenue from $116 billion to $145 billion. Tax relief is no where in sight in Saskatchewan," concluded Breitkreuz.
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For more information please call: Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.
Yorkton: (306) 782-3309
Ottawa: (613) 992-4394
Their promise is well documented by the media regardless of what is said in the Liberal Red Ink Book," said Breitkreuz. "When the truth was in danger of breaking out last week because Liberal backbench MP, John Nunziata voted against his party's budget, he was kicked out the Liberal Party Caucus for trying to hold the Liberals accountable for their campaign promise. All Nunziata was doing was voting his constituent's wishes, something
Webster's Dictionary
Abolish: "to do away with"
Scrap: "to get rid of as useless"
Kill: "to put an end to"
Roget's Thesaurus
Abolish: "annul, cancel, nullify, abrogate, exterminate, wipe-out"
Kill: "put to death, do away with,, put an end to, bump off, wipe out"
Results of Vote
130 Liberals voted against the Reform Motion
- not one Liberal voted for our motion - some Liberals missed the vote
Bloc voted for the Reform Motion