Ontario Liberals Announce Tax Cuts as Part of Election Promise

Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie with Ontario Liberal caucus members at Queen's Park in Toronto on Dec. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario Liberals have released a plan to cut taxes in the province if they win the next election.

Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie made the announcement at a press conference in Scarborough on Nov. 12.

“This will be the largest tax relief for the people of Ontario in over a decade,” Crombie said.

The Liberal plan includes a cut to the income tax rate for families, and eliminating the HST on home heating and hydro bills.

“Altogether, these tax cuts are going to save a family approximately $1,150 each and every year,” Crombie said. “It’s real money back in your pocket to help you afford groceries, to buy your child a new winter coat, or to pay for overdue repairs to your home or to your car.”

Crombie also said the carbon tax on consumers will be eliminated.

“We will ensure, as a party, that leaders will pay, but there will be no carbon tax on consumers.”

The governing Progressive Conservatives were quick to take a shot at the Liberals, saying Crombie has a history of raising taxes.

“It’s a very clear choice to the people of Ontario. It’s taxed to death under Bonnie Crombie, or make sure you vote for the PCs, and we'll put money back in your pocket,” Premier Doug Ford said at an unrelated news conference in Barrie.

Ford did not say if he will call an early election when asked by reporters at the conference.

Crombie told reporters that her tax increases were “extremely low” during her time as mayor of Mississauga.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation praised the Liberal plan.

“Costs are going up for everything, especially home heating,” said CTF Ontario Director Jay Goldberg. Crombie’s promise to cut income taxes as well as sales taxes on home heating and electricity “will make life better for Ontario families,” he said.

The CTF said Crombie’s plan will mean a tax reduction from 9.15 percent to 7.15 percent for those earning between $51,446 and $75,000, saving each Ontario taxpayer an estimated $471 each year.

Cutting the 8 percent HST on home heating and hydro bills will save the average family more than $150 a year, the CTF said.