On Parliament Hill

The Liberal Government’s 2016 budget was a setback for small businesses in Canada. They broke a key promise and kept the small business tax rate at 10.5%, instead of lowering it to the scheduled 9%. They also ended the Hiring Credit for Small Business.

At the time of the budget’s release, Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation for Independent Business tweeted that this was a “brutal Budget for small business.”

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said,“We are disappointed with the government’s decision to push back the small business tax reduction, and question the idea of contemplating increases to CPP at this point. As businesses struggle, this added pressure could slow down job creation and investment.”

In contrast, the previous Conservative government reduced the small business tax rate from 12% to 11%, with plans to further reduce it to 9% (now cancelled by the Liberals). We introduced the Small Business Job Credit to reduce EI premiums for small businesses, and we worked hard to cut endless red tape.

Since the release of the budget, Canada’s economy has indeed faced some significant challenges. Many sectors of the economy – particularly the oil and gas sector – are seeing huge job losses that are having a very negative effect on Canadian families. And although the Liberals also promised not to raise taxes on the middle class, that’s just exactly what they are doing. From a new national Carbon Tax, to rolling back Tax-Free Savings Accounts, to eliminating tax credits for children’s fitness and arts activities, to cutting tax credits for student textbooks – this government insists on making life more expensive for families.

This is again in contrast to the previous Conservative Government’s focus on keeping taxes low for all Canadian families. Thanks to our initiatives, the average family saved $6,600 every year but those savings continue to disappear as this government moves forward. This is no coincidence and we can’t afford another repeat this time around.

The Liberal Government needs to hear from you. In preparation for Budget 2017, I will be sending out a pre-budget survey to get your input. These surveys should be arriving in mailboxes across Provencher early in the new year and I encourage you to take a moment to fill it out and return it postage-free to my office. I will then forward your responses directly to the Prime Minister’s office.

Canadians deserve to have their voices heard, and for this government to take their feedback seriously.