Taxpayers call for tax cuts to meet cost-of-living challenges in pre-budget proposal

Toronto, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation calling on the Ford government to cut the sales tax, make the gas tax cut permanent and balance the budget as key recommendations in the 2024-25 Ontario pre-budget submission.

“With Ontario families facing soaring living costs, now is the time for the Ford government to be bold,” said CTF Ontario Director Jay Goldberg. “For too long, Ontarians have watched politicians pay lip service to affordability without delivering real results. It’s time for this government to cut sales taxes and gas taxes.”

The CTF is calling on the Ford government to cut the provincial portion of the HST from eight per cent to five per cent, which would save the average Ontario family $1,418 next year alone. The proposal also calls on the government to make its 6.4 cents per litre gas tax cut permanent and stop charging sales tax on top of other taxes at the gas pump.

“Three successive governments have failed to deliver on tax relief because they’ve spent too much money,” said Goldberg. “To balance the budget and lower taxes, the Ford government needs to rein in its out-of-control spending. That includes ending corporate welfare once and for all.”

The CTF’s submission calls for savings through lowering baseline spending to 2022 levels in non-health sectors, ending the government employee wage premium and scrapping all corporate welfare projects. The CTF is also calling for a series of accountability reforms, including introducing recall and balanced budget legislation.

The CTF’s full pre-budget proposal can be found HERE.