Aylward promises lower taxes on heating bills

Progressive Conservative leadership candidate James Aylward is promising to lower taxes on electricity and all forms of residential heating.

Aylward says he believes heat and electricity are basic essential services and he feels it is unfair for government to impose taxes on them.

As part of his leadership platform, Aylward says he would remove the provincial portion of the HST from residential electricity bills and all other forms of residential heating, including electricity, furnace oil, wood, wood pellets and propane.

“Islanders’ disposable incomes are among the lowest in the country. At the same time, Islanders are burdened by one of the country’s highest effective personal income tax rates,” Aylward said in a news release Friday.

“Many Islanders are having a difficult time getting by, especially in the winter months when electricity and heating bills rise significantly. Energy bills continue to rise. The reality is that many Islanders struggle to heat their homes and pay the bills.”

He noted the Liberal government said it would not adopt the harmonized sales tax, but later did adopt the tax in 2013.

“Despite Islanders’ repeated pleas, this government has completely refused to consider exempting home heat and electricity from the provincial portion of the HST. They are completely tone deaf,” Aylward said.

As part of his own campaign promise, Aylward is also committing to a time frame for his tax relief initiative.

“These changes will be included in the first budget that my government tables,” he said.

Aylward and Brad Trivers are the two candidates running for leadership of the PC party.