Dear friends,
I want to start by wishing you all a Happy New Year! I hope the first few weeks of the year have treated you well. I also wanted to update you on some recent news.
Our government continues to fight against the federal carbon tax in court, by challenging it at the Alberta Court of Appeal and supporting Saskatchewan and Ontario in their legal efforts to challenge the tax, which came into force on January 1. Albertans should not be punished for driving their kids to school or heating their homes. At the same time, we continue our efforts to combat climate change through the TIER plan, which incentivizes large industrial emitters to adopt emissions reduction practices, such as implementing clean technology.
I also wanted to address some concerns I鈥檝e heard. I fear that some Albertans have been mislead to believe that our government is handing out money to corporations. People generally assume this means large corporate bailout or subsidizing of specific industries 鈥� 鈥減icking winners and losers鈥�. This is a practice we鈥檝e seen from governments in the past. Let me be clear 鈥� our government is not partaking in that practice. When the opposition talks about a $4.7 billion-dollar handout they are intentionally misinforming Albertans.
January 1, the Job Creation Tax Cut officially took effect. Our plan to gradually reduce Alberta鈥檚 corporate income tax rate to eight per cent by 2022 is part of our plan to bring investment and jobs back to our province. Businesses will also benefit from enhanced capital cost allowances and our government鈥檚 ongoing efforts to cut red tape. Our government will continue to work hard to deliver on our promise to revitalize our economy and bring jobs back to our province. We鈥檙e prioritizing this because the corporate income tax doesn鈥檛 just affect big investors in Alberta. It also affects your local corner store, your hairdresser, and your plumber. This means more money in the hands of Albertans.
Lastly, I want to express my condolences to the families of those who passed away when Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 recently crashed in Iran. I was deeply saddened to have learned that 63 Canadians were among the 176 passengers aboard, including numerous Albertans. For those who may be struggling during this difficult time, mental health support is available 24/7 via the Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642.
Sincerely,
Martin Long, West Yellowhead
