-- CTF Calls on Sheriff of Nottingham Paul Martin to Cut Taxes --

OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today reacted to The Fraser Institute's calculations that this year's "Tax Freedom Day" occurs tomorrow, Saturday June 27. The Institute calculates Tax Freedom Day as the day of the year when Canadians finally start working for themselves. As the Institute notes, "all money earned prior to this day is required to pay the taxes imposed by the three levels of government - federal, provincial, and municipal."

"We work half of the year simply to satisfy government's never ending appetite for tax dollars," said CTF Federal Director, Walter Robinson. "The pressing need for tax cuts is evident to everyone except the Government of Canada."

Robinson pointed to recent studies that show Canadians are shouldering an increasing tax burden. "Last week, Statistics Canada revealed that Canadians now pay a whopping 20.5% of family earnings in income taxes which is the highest level in Canadian history. And earlier this month, the Caledon Institute estimated that 'bracket creep' has moved over 3.5 million Canadians onto the tax rolls or into higher tax brackets."

"With bracket creep, Paul Martin and his provincial accomplices have raised our taxes every year for the past five years and they've taken no political heat for their actions," fumed Robinson. "All the while, Cabinet Ministers are jockeying to see who can spend most of the anticipated budget surplus instead of doing the right thing and returning it to taxpayers."

The CTF has consistenly advocated for broad based tax relief as the best means to spur economic growth, job creation, and allow Canadians the freedom to plan for their futures by investing and reducing record levels of personal debt.

"Of the $71 billion the feds will take in income taxes this year, $11.2 billion will be taken from the pockets of 7.7 million Canadians who make $30,000 or less. The time has come for Paul Martin to stop acting like the Sheriff of Nottingham and play Robin Hood to all Canadians by giving back their money through meaningful and immediate tax relief," concluded Robinson.