Fair Taxes

Taxes are one tool governments have to shape society. For instance, both the Conservatives and Liberals have used our tax system to benefit corporations. Just in the last 5 years, federal corporate taxes have been reduced by almost 8 per cent as corporate profits hit record highs. Meanwhile the cost of living for ordinary Canadians has increased. Canadians are spending more and saving less, which means working Canadians are having a harder time covering the groceries and providing for their families. Instead of more corporate tax cuts, our tax system should guide the economic priorities of Canadians by lowering taxes for working Canadians and reducing poverty rates. We can do this by shifting taxes away from jobs and employment, and onto pollution and non-sustainable products, thereby freeing up funding for social programs while encouraging new infrastructure. Green Party MPs will work to:

• Reduce taxes for Canadians earning less than $45,000 per year.
• Establish an all-party task force to study corporate tax rates between Canada and the United States, taking into account the differences in and provision of various social programs.
• Close all loopholes that permit the establishment of offshore tax havens by Canadian companies.
• Establish a new Parliamentary Budget Office to provide independent public estimates of government revenues and expenditures. Simplify reporting in order to identify how government initiates new policies, the creation of budgets and the design of programs through to the actual results achieved.

• The Green Party Vision
• We can build a sustainable Canada
• We can build an inclusive Canada
• We can build a healthy Canada
• We can renew our democracy
• Sustainable fiscal framework
• Fair Taxes
• Intergovernmental Relations: Fixing the Fiscal Imbalance
• Foreign Policy: Keeping the Peace
• Fair Trading with our Global Neighbours