Kevin Sorenson
MP Battle River-Crowfoot
Parliament has reconvened in Ottawa and the issue of most importance in the debates in the House of Commons is the Liberal government’s planned attack on middle-class farmers and local businesses.
I have written about this issue in a recent column, yet, this planned “cash grab” by the Liberals continues to be very discouraging across our riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, our country and, in Parliament.
While the Liberals insist they are trying to make sure “wealthy” Canadians pay more tax, their plan is not a ‘level playing field’ when it comes to fair taxation. It means our local businesses including family farms, will have a tax rate higher than anyone else. Justin Trudeau promised to lower small business taxes, instead, he raised them. Big publicly-traded companies will continue to pay low tax-rates.
Everyone in our riding knows about the difficulty rural communities have recruiting and retaining medical doctors. This is an age-old challenge that all rural and remote communities struggle with all over Canada. The response of rural and remote communities large and small has always been to offer incentives to attract doctors. This approach works to a certain extent and municipal governments do all they can to accommodate medical practitioners, including new graduates, who show an interest in establishing a medical practice in one of our communities.
Our ability to attract doctors is severely reduced without their having the ability to incorporate their business and re-invest in it in order to recoup – over many years – their massive investment and start-up debt load. Without being incorporated, it would take many years for a doctor to expand a small practice. Few jobs could be created to support the doctor’s work. Patients suffer as they have less access to medical services. Stand-alone medical clinics become even more difficult to establish and sustain.
The Liberal’s new tax system will have many consequences. If you’re young person looking for your first job, you’ll have fewer local businesses that can afford to hire you; If you’re a farmer, it will be more complicated and expensive to pass your farm down to your children (and grain cash-deferrals to the next year may be eliminated); If you’re an entrepreneur, it will be harder to save for your retirement, and; If you need a family doctor, it will be harder to find one.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or previous columns you may write me at 4945-50th Street, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1P9, call 780-608-4600, toll-free 1-800-665-4358, fax 780-608-4603 or e-mail Kevin.Sorenson.c1@parl.gc.ca.