Singh’s NDP commits to lower monthly costs by taking the taxes off life’s essentials

TORONTO—Jagmeet Singh and the NDP will make life’s essentials tax-free, so families pay less for daily and monthly basics.

Speaking at the Canadian Club on Thursday, Singh pledged to remove the GST from home heating, grocery-store meals, internet and mobile bills, diapers and children's clothing.

“A quick meal and pack of diapers you grab on the way home from work, your family’s cell phone bills and the home heating bill—the more greedy CEOs drive up the prices, the more tax you pay. Those taxes never should have been there in the first place,” said Singh.

“Taking the tax off the basics will deliver real relief, month after month—that’s why the NDP will get it done.”

Singh says an NDP government will pay the tax cut with an excess profit tax paid by very large corporations that hike their profit margins. Excess profit or windfall taxes are used world-wide, including in the United Kingdom, Spain and Australia and have been used in Canada.

Singh said his commitment is in contrast with “callous Conservative cuts,” which will cost people more—pointing to the Canada Child Benefit (a Conservative cut could cost a family up to $619.75 per month), the dental care program (a Conservative cut could cost a family $1,200 per year), free birth control and diabetes medications, and cutting child care (which could cost families $8,500 per year or more).

Singh’s commitment was delivered during a speech on fixing and growing Canada’s economy by investing in workers—not investing in investors. In it, Singh excoriated trickle-down economics, saying “the idea that wealth trickles down has been disproven over and over,” while pledging to expand union membership, drive up wages, improve working conditions and protect Canadian jobs, including expanding steel and aluminum exports through market diversification.

“The Canadian dream means a decent job fills your fridge, clothes your kids, covers all your bills and still lets you save for the special things in life. Canadians have been losing hope that that dream will ever be possible again,” said Singh. “But we can fix and grow Canada’s economy – not by giving those that have the most an even bigger share. But by investing in those that do the work."

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BACKGROUND

An NDP government will immediately drop daily and monthly costs to consumers by removing the HST from:

• Grocery store items including pre-prepared meals
• Diapers
• All clothing for children under 15
• All telecom internet, phone and cell phone charges
• All types of home heating