Health tax still a pain for Ontario taxpayers

Last week a government motion was put forward in the Ontario Legislature to review the so-called health tax. The review will by conducted by the committee to which I belong – the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Rewind to 2003 when, prior to the provincial election, then Opposition Leader Dalton McGuinty looked straight into the television camera and said: "I won’t raise your taxes," before signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Then, once elected, in his first budget in 2004, Premier McGuinty introduced the largest tax increase in the history of the province – the infamous health tax -- setting us on a course of serial promise-breaking and commitment-killing.

That 2004 budget ensured that you and I and people across this great province had little money left after paying increasing gas and electricity bills, putting food on the table and lining government coffers. The best way to lose good character is to not keep one's word. Quite simply, Dalton McGuinty broke faith with the people of Ontario by hiking taxes when he promised he wouldn't. It's a hard, fast fact.

There was a scrum held right after that 2004 budget, and in that scrum the then Minister of Finance, Greg Sorbara, was asked by a reporter why they promised one thing and did another thing right after the election. Here's what he said: "It's the realities of the work that we do. It reminds me of a former Prime Minister," referring to Pierre Trudeau, who promised not to introduce wage and price controls before the election and then after the election, he said, and I quote Mr. Sorbara, "Zap, you're frozen." After the 2003 election and right after this 2004 budget, I guess, provincially, we can say, "Zap, you're taxed."

Most of us, I would assume, teach our children that you shouldn't make promises you can't keep. Back in 2003-04, there was already the perception that this government could not be trusted to keep its word; that they were not doing after the 2003 election what they promised to do before that election.

I'm afraid that feeling is just as prevalent today in 2008 as it was back then, when the details of that budget were made known. The bottom line is that people did not vote for this health tax.

Today we are still paying that tax but paying much more for health care and getting less. My office hears from folks every single day who have to dig into their own pockets to pay for health services that were once covered under OHIP – many of these people are on fixed incomes and simply cannot afford extra costs.

The Ontario Liberals campaigned on a plan for change, but really it became all about how they changed their plan. In the wake of the broken promise in the 2004 budget, the health tax boondoggle, and the promise-breaking spree, Premier McGuinty became known to the people of Ontario as the elected official who promised change, but then changed his mind.

We wonder why people are cynical about politics and politicians. We wonder why people think they can’t trust politicians – it’s because of the actions like the health tax starting back in 2003-04, where they clearly promised something they couldn't deliver.