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CCPA alternative budget released

CBC.ca reports this afternoon that, “In (the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative’s) annual alternative budget, the independent research group said the country needs continued economic support (and stimulus spending). …In its six-point plan, the centre suggested $10 billion in reforms to employment insurance, along with more money for green technologies. …The CCPA’s alternative budget (also) calls for cuts in defence spending, the introduction of a federal carbon tax by mid-2011, and changes to student financial support.”

The Toronto Sun adds that the alternative budget calls on the Harper government to:
– Cancel the two 1.5% income tax rate cuts scheduled for January 2011 and 2012
– Raise the corporate tax rate from the current 18% rate to 21%
– Hike the GST by 1%
– Set a new 31.5% tax rate for people earning over $250,000 a year
– Limit RRSP contributions to $20,000 annually
– Set a new 28% corporate tax rate for the oil and gas industry

“The authors of the report say the money raised by the tax hikes would be used to spend $15 billion a year on infrastructure and to pump; $5 billion into green jobs creation, $5 billion into manufacturing and boost E.I. while balancing the books.”

Read our chapter on ‘Water’ in the Alternative Federal Budget: http://canadians.org/water/documents/AFB-2010-water.pdf.

The CBC report can be read at http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/03/01/alternative-federal-budget.html.