Scheer pledges support to small businesses

New Conservative government to repeal Trudeau tax increases and reduce red tape

Small
business owners can look forward to a new Conservative government repealing
Justin Trudeau’s tax increases and cutting red tape, announced Andrew Scheer at
Cracker Jack’s Bar and Grill today.

“Justin
Trudeau thinks small businesses are tax cheats, “said Scheer. “In the last four
years, it has become more expensive than ever to run a business. Trudeau’s
Carbon Tax raised the price of gasoline and heating, making it harder to pay
monthly bills. His payroll tax hikes hurt the bottom line, and his
unprecedented tax hike on small businesses in 2017 – although Canada’s
Conservatives and business leaders came together to try to stop it – ended up
costing small businesses even more.”

The government
should not stand in the way and make life more difficult for those trying to
make a living and grow their business.

Not
only are small businesses victim to the Trudeau government’s tax hikes, small
businesses across the country are also struggling under a massive regulatory
burden. Justin Trudeau has imposed more than 4,300 job-killing, growth-choking
federal regulations on Canadian business since 2015.

A
new Conservative government will take several measures to support our small
businesses:

Repeal
Trudeau’s tax increases on small business investments
Exempt
spouses from Trudeau’s tax increases on small business dividends
Make
it easier to navigate Canada’s tax system and the Canada Revenue Agency
Reduce
federal regulations by 25 per cent
Implement
a 2-for-1 rule for new regulations
Assign
a Minister reporting directly to the Prime Minister to lead red tape reduction
efforts
Mandate
ministers and regulators to support innovation, economic growth, and global
competitiveness
Champion
Canada’s small businesses to the world

“A
new Conservative government will continue to celebrate small businesses as
drivers of prosperity, and not view them merely as sources of revenue,” said
Scheer. “It’s time to stop Justin Trudeau’s attacks on small business owners.
It is time for Canada’s small businesses to get ahead.”

FACTS:

Of
the 95,000 businesses that are created in Canada each year, barely 50 per cent
will survive to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Over the last four years, it
has become more difficult than ever to start and grow a business.
In
2017, Trudeau proposed a disastrous set of small business tax increases that
were only partially abandoned because of effective pressure by Canada’s
Conservatives and massive public outcry.
Trudeau
tried to hike taxes on small businesses’ investment income to 73 per cent, and
then went after small business owners’ spouses, ending a long-standing tax
exemption on dividend payments.
The
Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) reports there were 131,754 federal regulations
on the books when Justin Trudeau took office in 2015. Public policy think-tank
MEI reports that by 2018, the number of federal
regulations rose to 136,121 – an increase of more than 4,300.
In
late 2018, the Financial Post reported that regulatory burden was
“killing Canada’s competitiveness.”

ANDREW
SCHEER’S PLAN FOR YOU TO GET AHEAD:

Scrap the Trudeau Carbon Tax, lowering the cost of everyday essentials like gas, groceries, and home heating.
Introduce the Universal Tax Cut, saving an average couple $850.
Take the GST off home heating costs, saving your family $107 every year.
Introduce the Green Public Transit Tax Credit, saving a family of four who take transit up to $1,000.
Make maternity benefits tax-free, putting up to $4,000 back in the pockets of new parents.
Introduce the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, allowing parents to claim up to $1,000 for sports activities.
Introduce the Children’s Arts and Learning Tax Credit, letting parents claim up to $500 for arts and learning programs.
Expand the Age Credit, benefiting the lowest income Canadians the most and giving a senior couple up to $300.
Boost the RESP, helping parents get more for their kids’ education. For some, that could be $540 more.