The Gallant government is proposing a bill that would eliminate the requirement to hold a referendum on increasing the H-S-T. Finance Minister Roger Melanson introduced legislation which repeals the Taxpayers Protection Act.
Kevin Lacey, the Atlantic Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says the province is essentially stripping away the right of New Brunswickers to have a say on whether their taxes should be raised.
Melanson claims he doesn’t know if the H-S-T will be raised in the next provincial budget. It was back in 2005 when the government was running a surplus that former premier Bernard Lord introduced a provision requiring the provincial government to hold a referendum if it wanted to raise the H-S-T or charge tolls on highways.
