More loonies | Tories contend the tax rate goes back to 2006 levels

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By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

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Starting on Canada Day, New Brunswickers will save between $7.77 and $25.46 off their bi-weekly paycheques thanks to the Liberal government's income tax cuts.

The total savings for New Brunswickers this year will be $124 million.

But critics say the government is just moving the tax rate back to what it was before it came to power in 2006.

"We are very pleased that New Brunswick taxpayers will be getting more money to save, invest and spend as they choose," said Premier Shawn Graham in a speech in Moncton on Monday.

"Not only will this provide economic stimulus benefits in the short term, but it will position New Brunswick as the place to be for job creation, and a place where your income goes further than in many other jurisdictions," he said.

The tax reduction plan was announced earlier this year in the 2009-10 budget.

The government estimates the smallest tax savings are for a single individual making $25,000 per year.

He or she will pocket $202 in tax savings in 2009, which works out to $7.77 on every bi-weekly paycheque on an annual basis.

The biggest savings are for a couple each making $50,000 per year who will save $662 by Christmas. That works out to $25.46 off their combined bi-weekly paycheque.

But Opposition Finance critic Bruce Fitch isn't impressed.

"I wish they (the government) would stop misleading the people," he said Monday. "If they had said we are putting the taxes back where they were two years ago - and we shouldn't have raised them - I would have no problem with it."

Fitch said people are no further ahead and the public is already cynical enough about the way government packages information and communicates with residents of New Brunswick.

In addition, there are increased fees and property taxes through higher assessments, said Fitch.

The Liberals are collecting an extra $45 million this year in property taxes alone, said Fitch.

He also wondered if this was a public relations stunt related to a possible fall election.

Acting Finance Minister Jack Keir said such criticism is nonsense.

This year's tax reduction of $124 million alone is more than the tax increase in 2006, he said.

"It is much, much more than that," said Keir. "There will be $380 million a year by 2012 in the pocket of New Brunswickers."

When asked how he would like to see New Brunswickers spend their tax savings, Keir said that was up to them.

He said he would like to see people stimulate the economy, but tax cuts are about more than spending the savings or putting it in the bank.

It's about New Brunswick's reputation for being a good place to live and do business, he said.

"By the end of 2012, we are going to have the second most cost-effective tax system in the country behind Alberta," said Keir.

That will be a huge sales pitch for the province, he said.

Any tax cut is good news, said Kevin Gaudet, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

"New Brunswick is one of the few Canadian provinces moving in

the right direction," he said Monday.

"They deserve credit where it's due."

The government's contention that tax breaks can help attract, retain and repatriate professionals and skilled workers makes sense, said Gaudet.

"Absolutely," he said.

"When businesses have lower taxes, they are able to create and maintain jobs, and if personal taxes are lower, then those people are more likely to come and they can afford to stay (in New Brunswick)."

The government is also promising to reduce the corporate tax rate to eight per cent from 13 per cent by July 1, 2012.

With files by Daily Gleaner reporter Shawn Berry