Dalton McGuinty Running Scared from HST Vote: Hudak Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak Addresses Anti-HST Rally at Queen’s Park

News:

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak spoke at a rally on the south lawn of Queen’s Park today in front of a gathering of close to 200 people who came to protest the costly impact of Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax grab on fitness and recreation for Ontario families – such as the cost of gym memberships, vitamins and minor league sports registration fees.

When the HST comes into effect on July 1, it will add to the of cost of a whole range of goods and services Ontario families and seniors use every day, such as gasoline, hydro and home heating oil.

The Ontario PC Caucus was to introduce a motion today that would have allowed MPPs from all parties to freely vote on delaying the implementation of the HST until after the next provincial election. After learning about the PC motion, Dalton McGuinty betrayed an all-party agreement that in order to kill the motion before it could be debated and voted on in public.

Quotes:

“It’s clear Dalton McGuinty will do whatever it takes to silence Ontario families – and his own MPPs – from having a say on how the HST is implemented. Our motion would have given the McGuinty Liberals one last chance to listen to their constituents and delay this punishing tax grab until Ontario voters give them a mandate to implement it.”

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

“With the family budget already stretched to the limit, it’s clear the people of Ontario just cannot afford Dalton McGuinty any more.”

– Lisa MacLeod, MPP Nepean-Carleton, Ontario PC Critic for Revenue and Government Affairs

Quick Facts:

The HST will add $57.60 in new taxes annually on a gym membership of $60 per month.
The National Citizens Coalition estimates the HST will cost the average taxpayer an additional $800 to $1,000 or more annually.
The Ontario PC Caucus proposed the following motion that Dalton McGuinty broke his promise to strike down: “That, in light of Premier McGuinty telling Ontario families the HST will be revenue-neutral when he knew all along “there will be an increase in taxation” as a result of it; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario calls upon the McGuinty government to delay implementation of the HST until a date following the next provincial general election.”