The NDP Leader Carla Beck announced the NDP’s commitment to stopping the 15 cent per litre tax on gasoline and diesel for six months, if her part is elected this fall.
Beck made the announcement at a press conference north of Regina. She said suspending the Gas Tax is supported by 74 per cent of the province’s population, according to a recent Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation poll.
“We will not only freeze taxes we will lower their taxes, and that is exactly what we intend to do, listen to the Saskatchewan people,” she said..
Beck said Manioba, Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have already “delivered gas tax relief” and Saskatchewan needs to do the same. She said Saskatchewan residents are struggling with cost-of-living issues, and this is one way to bring relief.
“Every day I hear from families who’ve had to cancel that summer trip or just can’t seem to make ends meet at the end of the month,” Beck said in a press release. “That’s why we’re focused on saving you money and putting more money back in your pocket. We will act right away, without delay.”
The NDP has already promised not to raise taxes if elected this fall. In a press release, Beck said the party would soon release a full-cost platform that balances the budget in her first term.
Beck has campaigned on being a party that will stand up for Saskatchewan on the federal stage. As part of those efforts, she recently wrote to the leaders of all three federal parties with about various challenges faced in Saskatchewan. The list includes calls for scrapping the Federal Carbon Tax, increasing federal funding for healthcare services, maintaining tariffs on Chinese steel, and hiring more RCMP officers to they can get tough on crime.
“Everyday the seniors complains they can’t makes ends meet any longer,they cant afford to buy groceries or pay for power bills and planning to go back to pick up part time jobs,” she said.
Government spending in the last seven years, she said, has been up over 42 per cent and yet has not addressed the challenges of the people of Saskatchewan in the areas of cost of living, healthcare and crime rate.
“l want to make it clear that if elected premier, l will always stand up for the Saskatchewan,” she said. “l am not running for the federal office, l am running to be premiere of this office and the saskatchewan people’s view must come first.”
Beck said the seniors are tired of talks and billboard campaigns. She said they want to see competent governance and that is why the NDP ready to lowering cost of living and putting more into the purse of Saskatchewan people.
“More money is important in places like health care and education, but it’s also important that we are focused on working with those doctors, those nurses, those communities, those working in our hospitals and our health-care system, to not just be spending more money to actually ensure that we’re getting better results,” she said.
