Ottawa – Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo and Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Revenue spoke today against a Liberal Opposition Motion calling for the reverse to corporate tax cuts and the restoration of the tax rate for large corporations to 2010 levels.

“In 2007, the Conservative government introduced and Parliament passed a bold and broad-based tax relief plan for Canadian job-creators,” said McLeod. “The low-tax plan’s aim has been to make Canada more competitive, attract more investment, and most importantly create more jobs for Canadians.  In fact, over 110,000 Canadian businesses are benefiting from our low-tax agenda.”

“What is clear is that the Liberal party does not understand that higher taxes, especially on businesses, kill jobs and economic growth,” said McLeod. “What is even more astounding is that the Liberal Finance critic Scott Brisson not so long ago stated:  ‘we cannot increase corporate taxes without losing corporate investment . If we lose corporate investment, we have a less productive economy… That means fewer jobs. That means more poverty.’”

I think it is very telling when organizations like the Forest Products Association of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, all speak of the positive impact that our tax relief measures have had.

“In the words of Jayson Meyers of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the numbers show that corporate tax cuts are critical drivers of the Canadian economy… the question is not if we can afford corporate tax cuts; it is can we afford not to,” concluded McLeod.