Bulletin board info...

Taxing

Liberal- Michael Ignatieff has clearly stated he will not raise the GST: “And so we’ve got to be very clear in the next election. We are not going to increase the tax burden on the Canadian family. It’s not going to happen. Don’t believe what they tell you. Don’t believe what they say.”(Michael Ignatieff, speech to the Liberal Caucus, January 25, 2011)

Conservative- Stephen Harper is committed to keeping taxes low for Canadian consumers, and to completing our economic recovery.  He's cut taxes more than 120 times, saving the average Canadian family $3,000 a year.

Green-The Green Party believes in reforming our tax system to make it fairer and more in tune with Canadians’ desire for a healthy environment, a sustainable economy and a vibrant, caring society. It makes no sense to subsidize the wealthiest corporations on Earth

NDP- We will reduce the small business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent to support a sector of our economy that creates nearly half of all new jobs in Canada.

Education

Liberal- Public schools are the best way to educate students.  Vouchers take money away from public schools.  Government should focus additional funds on existing public schools, raising teacher salaries and reducing class size

Conservative- School vouchers create competiton and therefore encourage schools to improve performance.Vouchers will give all parents the right to choose good schools for their children, not just those who can afford private schools.

Green-Work with provinces and higher learning institutions to reduce post-secondary tuitions.Boost participation in cooperative education programs and apprenticeships.Encourage more hands-on learning in our post-secondary education system.Harmonize government programs such as the Millennium Scholarship Fund to provide a single need-based grant program to reduce student debt.

NDP- We will make post-secondary education more affordable by directly attacking skyrocketing tuition costs with a designated $800 million transfer to the provinces and territories to lower tuition fees, as per the NDP’s Post Secondary Education Act;We will increase the funding in the Canada Student Grants Program by $200 million a year, targeting accessibility for Aboriginal, disabled and low-income students, in particular; We will raise the education tax credit from $4,800 per year to

$5,760 per year to help with increasing education costs.