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May 11, 2003
What people are saying about the Tory Property Tax Plan |
| “Say goodbye to school taxes on your house or farm in Manitoba if you make Stuart Murray your next Premier.” (Canada.com news, May 7, 2003) |
CJOB: “The net cost of the [Progressive Conservative] commitment is about $200 million. Is that sound arithmetic?”
Cameron: “It’s sound arithmetic, yes…” (CJOB May 7/03 - Norm Cameron, U of M Economist on Tories’ property tax plan)
“The Progressive Conservative proposal to eliminate all education taxes collected from residential and farm properties is a good idea whose time has come…the fact is that property taxes for education are greater today than they were three and a half years ago…The Tory plan … would put an end to the dithering and tinkering and the relentless growth in tax on property for education… [NDP] projections indicate the tax cut can be implemented… the plan will mean that the province, which is responsible for education, will also become fully responsible for financing it in a manner more transparent than the current tangle of local and provincial taxes and rebates.” (Wpg Free Press, Editorial, May 8, 2003)
“The Tories’ plan to cut property taxes by up to 50% is a good start. The party unveiled details of its plan yesterday, and it makes good sense…We like the idea. (Wpg Sun, Editorial, May 8, 2003)
“For the past few years the CTF [Canadian Taxpayers Federation] has been calling for the elimination of school taxes on farmland and we applaud the PC's for taking it one step further.” (Canadian Taxpayers Federation, May 8, 2003)
“Even the New Democrats must be wishing they had thought of it first. The education property tax reductions laid out by the Conservatives this week represent the first real tax cut Manitobans have been promised in many years…The NDP, not surprisingly, are crying foul, that the scheme could never work…The fact is, Gary Doer could have come up with something quite similar…(Steinbach Carillon, Editorial, May 8, 2003)
“NDP Industry Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says under the Tory plan to cut property taxes by up to 50%, government would have to drastically reduce spending…this isn’t true…The Doer government brought in $142 million in net tax reductions in its 2003 budget….According to all of those who believe those tax cuts are a ‘cost’ and must be ‘paid for’ somehow, the NDP would have had to slash spending, right? Wrong. The NDP didn’t have to cut anything. In fact, government cranked up spending by nearly 5% across the board. (Wpg Sun, Tom Brodbeck Column, May 8, 2003)
“Whether you think the cost is $200 million a year, according to the Tories, or another $75 million according to the NDP, it [elimination of education taxes on residential property and farmland] is possible…The Tories intention to get rid of them once and for all will do as much for Manitobans and Winnipeggers as almost anything they could possibly do...a cut in education taxes…[would] remove a major obstacle to attracting new people here. That some folk either don’t believe this can be done, or don’t understand how it works, demonstrates a fatalistic complacency about Manitoba’s and Winnipeg’s future.” (Wpg Free Press. Nicholas Hurst, Editor, May 10, 2003)
“[Stuart] Murray’s plan to eliminate the education tax on residential and farm property should be a votes magnet. It’s a great idea, one that’s been talked about for decades. Eliminating the education tax puts the funding right where it should be. Education is a provincial responsibility. Its funding should transparently demonstrate that… when one looks at the numbers based on Finance Minister Greg Selinger’s revenue projections and finance and education department data – it is…eminently ‘doable’.” (Stonewall Argus, Editorial, May 12, 2003) |
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