Poilievre says Conservatives will vote against Liberals' 'irresponsible' GST holiday
GST holiday legislation expected to pass Thursday, but $250 rebate cheques punted for now
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party will vote against the Liberal government's proposed tax holiday, calling it "irresponsible and inflationist."
"This isn't a tax cut. This is an inflationary, two month, temporary tax trick," Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday morning.
"We need tax relief that actually encourages the economy to produce more of the stuff that cash buys."
The Liberal government introduced a bill Wednesday that would bring in a promised GST holiday starting next month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has billed the tax holiday as an affordability measure aimed at alleviating cost-of-living pressures.
Some economists have cautioned that the measure could have inflationary consequences later this spring.
Poilievre said the government should instead adopt his policy suggestions by scrapping the carbon tax and removing the GST from new homes sold for under $1 million.
"My tax cuts are not just about lowering costs. They're about sparking more production," he said.
The GST holiday bill is expected to pass in the House of Commons with the support of the NDP when it comes to a vote later today. The Bloc Québécois has said it also will vote against the bill.
The proposed measure would temporarily remove the GST from some goods and services — including children's toys, beer and wine and restaurant meals — from Dec. 14 until just after Valentine's Day.
Government House leader Karina Gould called Poilievre's stance on the tax holiday "disappointing" and "disingenuous."
"For the people who it's going to benefit, which is every single Canadian, it's actually meaningful for them," Gould told reporters Thursday.
The Liberals originally pitched the tax holiday along with a plan to send $250 cheques to the 18.7 million people in Canada who worked in 2023 and earned $150,000 or less. But some Canadians have raised concerns about being excluded from the millions who would receive those cheques.
The NDP threatened to withhold support for the entire package if the government didn't split the promises into two pieces of legislation. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a media statement on Wednesday that his party will support the cheque measure later if the Liberals expand it to include more Canadians, "including seniors, people with disabilities and injured workers."
NDP agree to pause House gridlock to pass GST bill
The NDP, which ended its governance agreement with the Liberals earlier this fall, has been calling for the GST to be taken off daily essentials permanently.
MP Alexandre Boulerice said his party was "forcing the Liberals" to put the tax holiday on the table.
"Two months is a little bit short, but that was something that we pressed. We got something that will help the middle class and workers, so of course we're going to support it," he told reporters on Thursday.
"We support the measure, not the Liberals."
The federal government estimates that the tax holiday would cost the federal treasury an estimated $1.6 billion in foregone revenue. As it's currently designed, the $250 cheque program would cost about $4.68 billion, a Finance official told CBC News.
The House has been unable to move forward with regular business for weeks as opposition MPs have pushed the Liberal government to release documents related to a now-defunct foundation responsible for doling out hundreds of millions of federal dollars for green technology projects.
Because the matter is considered a question of privilege, it takes precedence over all other House business. The NDP voted with the Liberals to temporarily pause the privilege debate on Thursday in order to move the GST bill through the House.
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