Posted by Bob Nixon on 5/19/2004, 9:51 pm, in reply to "Ontario budget imposes health care 'premium'" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday, he raised them by $9 billion over four years. He promised he would not run deficits. Yesterday, he announced four years of deficits and a plan to gut the Balanced Budget Act he promised to abide by -- in writing -- during that election. McGuinty also promised, in writing, to obey the Taxpayer Protection Act and hold a referendum if he hiked taxes. Yesterday, he announced he would gut that law so he will not have to hold a referendum on raising taxes. Two years ago, McGuinty rejected the controversial idea of health premiums as "a tax hike on working families." Yesterday, he introduced health premiums in the budget. The bearer of all this bad news was Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, who, incredibly, told the Sun's Linda Leatherdale the day before -- as she presented him with 11,000 "No More Taxes" petitions from Sun readers -- that his budget would have people "celebrating in the streets." Yesterday, Sorbara admitted in his budget speech that the Liberal decisions to raise taxes and run deficits "were inconsistent with our election commitments and we openly acknowledge that." Of the health premium, Sorbara said: "Mr. Speaker, you know and I know that this is something we promised not to do." But the litany of broken Liberal promises doesn't stop there. During the election, McGuinty promised Ontarians would not pay a cent more in taxes under the Liberals compared to the Tories. Yesterday, he raised taxes on beer and wine, the cost of renewing your driver's licence as well as reinstating a suspended one, and small claims court fees. More fee hikes are expected. He raised cigarette taxes, too, for the second time -- the only tax hike actually mentioned in the Liberal election platform -- and slipped in an extra $1.70-per-month charge on your hydro bill. He also delisted routine eye exams and non-hospital chiropractic and physiotherapy services from OHIP. Of course, now the Liberals promise that almost all of their massive tax grab will be earmarked for health, education and municipal transit and infrastructure. Hey, have they ever lied to us before? And another thing ... GREG SORBARA said he was proud to be the first Liberal finance minister to present a budget since Bob Nixon 15 years ago. But how proud was he to be introducing the very health care premiums Nixon eliminated in 1989? http://www.torontosun.com/NewsStand/TorontoSun/Editorial/home.html
Wed, May 19, 2004
McLiar's: We're hatin' it
DURING LAST fall's Ontario election campaign, Dalton McGuinty promised he wouldn't raise your taxes.
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