Selinger repeats vow of tax breaks for low- and middle-income families

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This article was published 08/04/2016 (3536 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Friday was rerun day for Greg Selinger.

On the day that Conservative leader Brian Pallister detailed his financial plans, Selinger staged a press conference in a family living room in the Maples to remind low- and middle-income families of the tax breaks the NDP has promised them.

“The tax reduction for families is about 10 per cent a year,” Selinger told reporters.

“We’re going to increase the seniors’ tax credit to $2,300 a year,” which the NDP estimates will mean 98 per cent of seniors will not pay education property taxes.

Meanwhile, Selinger said he was confirming his fiscal outlook released earlier by reiterating a promise to create a new tax bracket for the two per cent of wealthiest Manitobans. That would allow $50 million in taxes to shift from the lowest to the highest taxpayers, an average of $260 a year for 320,000 families in Manitoba.

“This is all at risk under Brian Pallister’s plans. His approach to taxes is to benefit the wealthy,” said the premier.

On Wednesday, Brandon West Tory candidate Reg Helwer said Selinger’s tax-the-wealthy plan would drive doctors out of Manitoba.

“I’m glad he acknowledges we have well-paid doctors. We have 700 more doctors now” than when the Conservatives were last in power in 1999, Selinger said.

Selinger said a doctor being paid $200,000 a year would not base a decision on where to live and practise on $1,000 in taxes.

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He repeated his daily predictions that a Pallister government would cut essential services, and took shots at Pallister, who said Thursday in Brandon that he is attending only a few debates because he prefers to travel the province.

“We see it’s a very competitive race in Winnipeg — every day counts,” Selinger said. “We see Brian Pallister skip debates. He’s become the artful dodger.

“How remote and disconnected are you going to be if you’re fortunate enough to get the job?” Selinger said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Nick Martin

Former Free Press reporter Nick Martin, who wrote the monthly suspense column in the books section and was prolific in his standalone reviews of mystery/thriller novels, died Oct. 15 at age 77 while on holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland.