Saskatchewan a National Leader for Tax Freedom
June 1st is Tax Freedom Day in Saskatchewan, and the province is now tied for the second earliest tax-freedom day in Canada, down four weeks from 2005 when it was June 29th.
Tax freedom day is an economic measure by the Fraser Institute that tracks and ranks how much provincial residents pay in taxes. The earlier Tax Freedom Day arrives, the lower your cumulative tax bill becomes.
Since first-elected, your Saskatchewan Party government has provided $6 billion in tax relief to Saskatchewan people and businesses. This has encouraged investment and growth, and it is a far cry from the old Saskatchewan where NDP governments would regularly hike taxes, scaring away investment and people.
During their 16 long years in government the NDP hiked taxes 21 times, reaching into your pockets time and again, while at the same time delivering fewer and fewer services.
Recently our government introduced a Budget that, while challenged by the global drop in resource prices, did not raise taxes and did not introduce any new taxes. We know that Saskatchewan people work hard, and that taxpayer dollars belong to the people, not the government – it is why for the past ten years Saskatchewan has been a national leader for growth, investment and job creation.
Just this week we saw this plan continue to bear fruit; Raging River Exploration – a Calgary-based energy company – announced it would be investing billions in oil & gas exploration and drilling right here in Saskatchewan over the next 10 years. The rationale for choosing Saskatchewan? Government certainty. Royalty and tax stability has been a cornerstone of attracting investment and economic activity to our province.
The announcement made by Raging River Exploration builds on other recent announcements and major projects from other companies and sectors like Husky Energy, Edgewood Forest Products, Crescent Point Energy, Well Group, RII North America, K+S Potash, BHP Billiton and Revera, to name a few. Together these announcements alone add up to over $6 billion in new investment and hundreds of good-paying jobs.
We know there is more work to do. It is why our team of Saskatchewan Party MLAs will always stand up for the interests of Saskatchewan and its people first. Unlike the NDP, we will continue to advocate for putting more money back into the pockets of hard working Saskatchewan people, and we won’t take a flying Leap with our province’s economy and future. We will continue to work hard to keep growing our province, to keep your taxes low, and to keep Saskatchewan strong.
Laura Ross is the MLA for Regina Rochdale