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Perhaps Dwight Duncan gave Stephane Dion a gentle nudge in the direction of the bus, or at least tried to pull him back after starting to throw him under it.
The transcript of the exchange that I referred to yesterday...
Q: TD is calling for a carbon tax. Are you still saying no to a carbon tax, especially given the cool reception it's been given on the federal scene?
DD: We have focused on cap and trade. And, one of the things that I think would be a mistake right now is massive shifts in tax burden at a time when there is uncertainty. So, we're going to continue to focus on cap and trade, along with a number of other initiatives the government has talked about, on climate change, recognizing that the commitment to carbon reduction is extremely important. I would point out - what's significant about Mr. Drummond's recommendation - is that you simply can't just cut corporate taxes and not find replacement revenue. It's kind of - to suggest that you just cut taxes and that magically things will recover I think TD pretty well slaps that down. What we need is a balanced approach to public policy. We think we've got the right balance and we think that the policies that we've laid out will help Ontario get through these challenging times.
Q: You said now - a time of uncertainty - is not the time for a massive shift in how you collect taxes. I think that's going to be a quote from the Conservative war room very shortly. Does that mean Mr. Dion's promise, in the Green Shift?
DD: No. The federal circumstances are, you know, listen, all the parties are now advocating fairly dramatic shifts. And so, from where we're at right now, I'm looking at our books, I'm looking at the provincial economy, and at this point in time, my view is that prudence on the revenue and expenditure side is the order of the day.
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Michael B from Canada writes: This is exactly the point I've been making since this blew up. He was referring to provincial taxes, not federal. And he said right now, he didn't say in general. He wasn't slamming Dion, and the media should be ashamed of how loudly they proclaimed that Ontario's Finance Minister was "sharply critical" of Dion, a phraseing that I find disingenous at best.
- Posted 30/09/08 at 3:55 PM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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