The following is a release sent out by the N.S. PC Party.
HALIFAX: As a province, we need to start investing more in ourselves. We have capable and talented people and organizations. At the same time, everyone wants higher pay, and every employer would love to pay their team more.
PC Leader Tim Houston has proposed an innovative, made-in-Nova-Scotia solution that will meet both of these goals and send the message that our province is open for business.
Today the PCs launched the ‘Better Pay Cheque Guarantee.’ It will position Nova Scotia to compete with other provinces and countries and invest in ourselves, but unlike other plans, it guarantees more money in employees’ pockets.
“This is a key component of the ‘can-do’ attitude Nova Scotians will see from your PC government,” says Houston. “A PC government will give your boss a choice: leave the money they paid as corporate tax in the hands of the government, or ask for it back on the condition that they distribute those same dollars to their team.
“That’s an easy decision, and it will mean more money in the hands of those who earned it: you.”
Under the plan, the province will return 50% of what is paid in tax the next year as a subsidy, provided it is paid to their employees. Every corporation is eligible simply by paying tax, on the condition it goes to workers.
With the plan targeted at working families, the top 20 percent of a company’s earners are not eligible.
“This isn’t a plan for the rich, this is a plan for the middle class and those struggling to join it,” says Houston. “It’s a plan to punch trickle-down economics in the nose,” says Houston. “If you want to stay competitive, you will pay a competitive salary.”
Quotes
“Election campaigns are at their best when they generate bold ideas. This is a bold idea. I have long believed that tax incentives offer more potential than cash grants. This proposed tax incentive looks to encourage local businesses, local purchasing power and population growth.”
-Donald Savoie, Canadian Economist
