On Wednesday of this week, the Manitoba P.C. Party went to court to try to reverse the increase of the PST that the NDP government brought forward last year. For nearly a year Manitobans have been paying the increased PST which went from 7% to 8% as a result of 2013 NDP budget.
Manitobans will remember that the NDP brought in the PST increase despite the fact that the law said that a referendum of Manitobans was required before such an increase could happen. As a result, the Manitoba P.C. Caucus vowed to use every legislative and legal option available to stand up to the NDP government and stand up for Manitobans. After all, not only did the PST increase override existing law, it also broke a promise Premier Greg Selinger made to Manitobans in the 2011 election not to increase the PST.
The increase of the PST has resulted in more than $250 million coming out of the pockets of Manitobans so far. Combined with increases to Hydro rates, auto insurance and home insurance rates, many Manitobans are having to make some pretty hard choices around the kitchen table because they have less in their household budgets.
As a result, the Manitoba Legislature sat through the summer last year in the longest spring session in Manitoba history as we tried to convince Premier Greg Selinger and the NDP to keep their promise, follow the law, and reverse their decision to raise the PST. Hundreds of Manitobans came to the Legislature during the summer to participate in rallies against the PST increase and to make presentations at legislative committee.
Once all legislative options were exhausted, we kept our promise to Manitobans and hired Winnipeg lawyer Robert Tapper to bring forward a legal action against the PST increase and the fact that the legally required referendum was ignored. We are using our own resources to fund the lawsuit on behalf of Manitobans while the NDP are using taxpayers dollars to defend the case.
At the writing of this article, I do not know the outcome of the court case. While we of course hope for victory, the reality is that in any court case you have to accept the possibility of a loss. However, regardless of the outcome, we believe that it was important to stand up for Manitobans. It is also important to send a message to the NDP government that increasing taxes, breaking promise and overriding laws are things that come with consequences.
And in the end, regardless of the outcome, Manitobans will have a much better understanding of who stands up for them and who stands against them.
