On consultation (II)

Keith Hutchings, May 22, 2008:

MR. HUTCHINGS: What did this government and this minister do in the Budget this year in 2008? We eliminated the 15 per cent insurance tax, took it off the books. One of the other items we heard in our consultations around the Island and in Labrador, in terms of the business community and driving the economy, was the payroll tax that is currently being paid. Employers said: That is burdensome to us in some regards. Can that be moved? So this government moved from a threshold of $600,000 to $1 million. So, over 300 employers basically do not pay that tax any more.

Mr. Speaker, we went out, consulted, listened to stakeholders, listened to what they have to say, and indeed proceeded to act on that. That is what we did in this Budget in 2008.

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Another $4 million dollars will be spent to increase teaching resources, $2.5 million to implement the recommendations of the ISSP and Pathways Report, so we are moving forward. As pointed out earlier, as well, for my colleague who spoke prior, this is an initiative by the minister and the government that identified a need, consulted, and then moved forward to deal with it. That is how this government operates, Mr. Speaker.