December 15, 2008 - Barely a comma was altered following public input into the Graham Government’s tax reform proposals.  Taxes on major corporations will be slashed.  The hated HST will be set even higher.  And it will be the middle income workers of New Brunswick who will bear the burden of even higher taxes.

“It wasn’t enough that the government’s Discussion Paper on Taxation was released just as summer arrived.  And the so-called “public consultation” was scheduled for July when New Brunswickers were enjoying the beautiful summer sun.  Despite the government’s best efforts to have their proposals ignored, New Brunswickers made many passionate submissions to the Select Committee of the Legislature,” said August Gallant, spokesperson for the New Brunswick Fair Tax Coalition.

“Small businessmen told the Government of the dire consequences of increasing the HST.  Women’s groups explained how women would be disproportionately hit by the changes proposed to the tax laws.  Representatives of the poor in the province pleaded with the government not to use the HST – a regressive tax – as their main vehicle for collecting taxes in the province.  And economists warned that the government did not have the information they needed to support such drastic changes in the tax system.”

All were ignored.  “The Graham Government is marching to a different drum and it is not that of the people of New Brunswick”, said Gallant.

The NB Fair Tax Coalition was formed following the publication of the Discussion Paper on New Brunswick's Tax System in the summer.  Composed of a dozen organizations representing workers, women, seniors and the poor of the province, the Coalition for Fair Taxation believes that the Graham Government's proposals will lead the province in a direction that will be totally opposite to that of Louis Robichaud's program of “Equal Opportunity”.

Gallant pointed out that the MLA’s, including the Premier and his Ministers, are elected by individuals, not by the half dozen large multi-national corporations who will be the only beneficiaries of these tax changes.  “They are not representing the people of this province in a fair and honest manner.  The Coalition rejects taxation without honest representation,” concluded Gallant.

Contact:

Auguste Gallant

Spokesperson for the NB Fair Tax Coalition

506 577-4286

DS : mv/cope491