Ontario ‘last place’ to invest: Flaherty
Posted on 29 February 2008 by Jack
HALIFAX–Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty launched a post-budget blitz today by lecturing provinces on the need to lower taxes and taking a swipe at Premier Dalton McGuinty for making Ontario “the last place” in Canada to start a business.
In a speech to the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Flaherty challenged provinces to help him create a Canadian “brand” for business taxes by reducing their take of corporate profits.
“I’ve challenged the provinces to drive down their business tax rates to 10 per cent by 2012,” he said during his speech.
Flaherty said by combining that with a 15 per cent federal rate, he would “brand our country globally as a 25 per cent business tax jurisdiction.”
He later praised British Columbia for its recent budget commitment to achieve the lower corporate tax rate, and acknowledged Alberta has already achieved his goal.
However, he had some tough words for his home province of Ontario, where a Harris-Decima poll released Friday suggested the public supports McGuinty’s view that Ottawa it giving short shrift to troubled manufacturers.
The poll found that 56 per cent of those surveyed supported the premier’s view that Flaherty is too focused on the oil-and-gas industry.
Asked about the poll, Flaherty responded that the Liberal premier “doesn’t get … that you must reduce your business taxes over time.”
“Their business taxes are the highest in Canada. If Mr. McGuinty thinks that’s good for the manufacturing sector in Ontario, he’s wrong.”
Flaherty said the policies are doing “long-term” damage to the province’s economy.
“It discourages investment in the province of Ontario,” he said. “If you’re going to make a new business investment in Canada, and you’re concerned about taxes, the last place you will go is the province of Ontario.”
Note: It’s been a long day for me today with all the snow shovelling and this new template. It’s coming but I need some support from Cynapse to help finish it off.
Goodnight.
Popularity: 27% [?]
February 29th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Snow? It’s raining in Vancouver but the first spring flowers are peeking up…
February 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
We got just shy of a foot of heavy, wet snow today. February going out like a lion I guess. It’s supposed to be + 5 by Monday so my wife tells me.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
No one is going to invest in Ontario with McGuinty’s liberals in charge, that’s obvious. So Ontario liberals have to put the squeeze on Ottawa and force other Canadians to ‘invest’ in the province. McGuinty bought big unions with our money, now he’s trapped us all for at least four years. Elites will live well regardless though, so not to worry…
February 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
why cut taxes in ontario or Quebec if you can get a liberal gov’t elected who will tax sask and alberta to supply unlimited dollar’s ! Go for it you if you want to open a can of worm’s that will destroy canada as we know it. sask got rid of a socialist govt. we were worse than ontario trying to attrack business .look and learn
March 1st, 2008 at 7:03 am
apparently many ontarians don’t see that so why should mcguinty do anything-no protest no change.
I think this is the time that John Tory should alert the people on this matter. Explain to Ontarians what Flaherty said.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:48 am
Jen raises a great point. Where IS John Tory on this? Isn’t he poised to offer up an alternative to Dalton? That’s the thing about being an effective opposition - being organized and quick off the mark helps.
There was some talk after the provincial election that the McGuinty government over-estimated the size of growth in Ontario and based their promises on that over-estimation.
Why is no one holding Dalton’s feet to the fire on his spending and promises(this election and last) ignoring the calls from both oppositions on the matter of manufacturing - it WAS raised in the legislature many times in question period by both oppositions. Yet the money still went to the cricket clubs and to engage(entice) parents to their schools.
March 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am
Maybe Tory must be writing a speech ontarians can understand; that takes times. You have to remember for years toronto have been told what to do, when to do, how to do it. the people have become no numb that for them to think reasonable- to bring them to reality to the very issues which their own leader Dalton Mcguinty is taking for granted has not become a reality to the people. He like any other liberal do not have to strain themselves as long as he has his people numbed and oblivious to the truth.
Simply putting it Dalton knows which buttons to push. In Tory’s case he tells as it is.
I would rather have a provencial leader who is direct and not secretive.