Tim Hudak calls on Dalton McGuinty to Use 2010 Budget to Cancel his $25 Million HST Tax Collector Severance Payout

News

While families, seniors and businesses throughout Ontario are tightening their belts and making sacrifices in order to make ends meet, the McGuinty Government continues to indulge in outrageous spending and sweetheart deals.

Under Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax grab plan, the McGuinty Government will pay six-month severance packages worth as much as $45,000 each, to more than 1,250 Ministry of Revenue tax collectors who won’t lose their jobs. This ‘severance’ will cost Ontario workers and families a total of $25 million even though the tax collectors will not be missing a day of work.

The 2010 Ontario budget is an opportunity for Dalton McGuinty to lead by example and start showing respect for how much Ontario families are already paying by cancelling the outrageous $25 million tax collector payout, return this money to Ontario families and cancel his record breaking HST tax grab.

The Ontario PC Caucus has released a list of 10 ideas that will create jobs, control spending and help the economy grow. These ideas can be viewed at www.10for2010.ca.

Quotes

“Today when families and budgets are already stretched to the breaking point, it is insulting to see government elites and insiders indulging themselves at the taxpayers’ expense. Dalton McGuinty must use the 2010 budget to cancel up to $45,000 that each HST tax collector is receiving in return for changing their business cards.”

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

“There are still two rules in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario. While the government demands that most people continue to do more with less, the favoured few continue to get rich on the taxpayers’ dime. Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax is painful enough. He must show leadership and demand that tax collectors return this $25 million to the taxpayers right away.”

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

Quick Facts

The McGuinty Government will pay six-month severance packages worth as much as $45,000 each to more than 1,250 Ministry of Revenue tax collectors who won’t lose their jobs. The McGuinty Government estimates the severance deal could cost up to $25 million.

The severance is being issued to tax collectors affected by the implementation of the HST, which takes effect on July 1, 2010.

An agreement signed by the McGuinty Government and the Canada Revenue Agency will see the provincial tax workers become employees of the federal government, but not before receiving severance payouts for the “loss” of their Ontario jobs. In contrast, public servants in British Columbia who signed a similar deal this week to move to federal positions will not be entitled to severance payouts