Sask. NDP pledging to tax province’s wealthiest people

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party Leader Ryan Meili launched his campaign in Saskatoon on Wednesday by pledging to implement a wealth tax if he is elected premier.

Standing on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River surrounded by candidates running in Saskatoon, Meili proposed a one per cent tax on people with a net wealth of more than $15 million.

“By asking those top earners — the top half of one per cent — to pay a bit more, we can make sure that ordinary families don’t pay the price for the Sask. Party’s mistakes and failures,” Meili said.

Using data from the federal parliamentary budget office, Meili expects the tax would generate $120 million to invest in health care, education and long-term care.

Meili criticized the Sask. Party’s austerity measures and lack of innovative ideas to improve the province’s economic recovery, adding that similar measures in 2017 put the province into a recession.

“The Sask. Party’s plan of austerity is a plan to weaken our economy and hurt people,” he said.

“We understand that right now we’re going to need to invest a little bit more, and that’s how we get back to balance sooner.”

Meili said he has no intention of cutting funding to health care and education.

Donna Harpauer, the Sask. Party candidate for Humboldt-Watrous, was quick to criticize the wealth tax as party leader Scott Moe proposed a home renovation tax credit.

“On a day where Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party’s first commitment was a tax break that will help families and our economic recovery, Ryan Meili and the NDP announced their first tax hike taken directly from the playbook of Jagmeet Singh,” she said in reference to the federal NDP leader.

“The NDP announcement raises a number of questions, including how would an NDP government determine everyone’s net worth?”

Meili, who further criticized Moe’s inability to balance budgets, said other announcements on how to pick away at the province’s growing deficit will follow in the coming days and weeks.

“The NDP has a plan that challenges the status quo, supports the province and puts some money back in our province and back in your pockets while asking the wealthiest — those that have benefited most from our province’s abundance — to contribute just a little bit more,” he said.