Debates of August 15, 2007 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement is on the northern residents tax deduction. In February of 2002, this Legislative Assembly passed the motion in favour of an increase of the northern residents deduction. The motion also calls for the annual indexing of this tax incentive. The Premier and the Minister of Finance were tasked to work with their counterparts in other jurisdictions to lobby the federal government in favour of the incentives. The maximum amount of a northern residents tax deduction has not been increasing since 1987. This means the real work of reduction has shrunk to half of its original value while the cost of living keeps rising. We are paying more or too much more.

We need this federal tax incentive more to keep up with the high cost of living in our communities. We heard this over and over during our budget consultations in the past two years. We continue to hear it in our communities today. The Finance Minister promised in his budget address in February that he would get the federal government to increase the northern residents deduction and would be a priority for this year. He has written fellow Finance Ministers. The territorial Premiers have met. He has established a working group on this issue. Where are the results? We want to increase the northern residents deduction to help our people live with the rising cost of living. We want this adjustment, including annual indexing, now because we cannot afford to struggle from paycheque to paycheque while the cost of living keeps rising and rising. I will have questions for the Finance Minister at the appropriate time.

---Applause