Pallister reveals PCs’ costed platform, vows to eliminate education property taxes

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This article was published 03/09/2019 (2197 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Pallister’s Progressive Conservatives promise to phase out education property taxes within 10 years, a measure, they say, will save the average Winnipeg homeowner $2,000 a year once fully implemented.

Pallister made the announcement today as the PCs released their costed election platform at a restaurant in Kildonan Park.

The Tory leader said the phase-out will begin after the budget is balanced. He has promised to do that by 2022.

The education portion of property tax bills amount to $800 million a year in Manitoba.

“That’s exciting for Manitoba homeowners everywhere across our beautiful province,” Pallister said of his promise. “And what it means is that Manitoba homeowners can count on growing tax relief each and every year as we move forward together to strengthen this province.”

The PC leader said the tax would be reduced by a “minimum” of 10 per cent annually over a “maximum” of 10 years.

According to a campaign platform document released to the media, the savings for Manitobans over the next four years are pegged at $141 million. That assumes the budget will be balanced in the next two years.

The PC platform outlines $856 million in savings over four years to fund the party’s various campaign promises.

A considerable amount of that, $325 million is budgeted to come from ideas from front-line civil servants and health-care workers to make government and health care more efficient, the PCs said.

A further $200 million is expected to come from savings from modernizing government procurement procedures, and another $200 million is anticipated to come from the sale of “unusable land and properties.”

The Progressive Conservatives are also budgeting $100 million in savings over four years from an “internal value for money program review” and a 15 per cent reduction in senior management across government organizations.

A previously announced removal of some election subsidies for political parties and politicians will save $1 million, the Tories say.

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larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca