What is Manitoba's New Democratic Party thinking in raising the regressive Provincial Sales Tax?

One has to wonder what the Manitoba NDP is thinking in proposing to raise the most regressive tax of all... the Provincial Sales Tax.

The NDP's decision to increase the provincial sales tax from 7 per cent to 8 per cent will have a particularly negative impact on those on low incomes, on students and on seniors.

What is needed are added stumpage fees on the foreign forestry companies and a very high tax on tonnage for foreign mining companies.

A big increase in the Minimum Wage would add more to revenues than an increase in the sales tax ever would because working people would be able to purchase more; thus increasing revenues which would make it possible to decrease the existing Provincial Sales Tax.

But what is really needed is a huge tax increase on the wealthy which one would expect the NDP to implement on the rich instead of hurting working people.

When will grassroots and rank-and-file activists in the NDP take a stand and begin pushing back against these completely wrong-headed policies of the NDP which jeopardizes their chance to become Canada's major political party? If working people in Manitoba lose confidence in the Manitoba NDP the NDP can kiss their chance for national political power good-bye.