The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Manitoba government to rein in spending, cut the sales tax and end bracket creep in Budget 2026. These are the key recommendations in the CTF’s pre-budget submission for Manitoba.

“Manitoba families pay more in provincial taxes than anywhere else in Western Canada,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Premier Wab Kinew needs to end his sneaky bracket creep tax hike and cut the sales tax to provide Manitoba taxpayers with much needed relief.”

A Winnipeg family making $75,000 pays more provincial taxes than the same family living in Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal.

The CTF is calling on the government to end bracket creep and cut the sales tax by one percentage point to make life more affordable for Manitobans.

The government stopped indexing income tax brackets to inflation in Budget 2025. That’s called bracket creep and it means that inflation can automatically bump taxpayers into a higher tax bracket and increase their tax bill. Ending bracket creep would save taxpayers $82 million this year and save them from future tax hikes due to inflation.

Cutting the Retail Sales Tax by one percentage point would also save the average Manitoban family about $315 a year.

The Manitoba government is increasing the debt by about $2.2 billion this year. The government has increased the debt by 61 per cent since 2016.

To tackle growing debt, The CTF recommends:

• A comprehensive spending review to find savings
• Ending corporate welfare
• Bringing government compensation in line with the private sector

Together, these recommendations would save taxpayers about $2.2 billion and allow the government to stop borrowing money and start paying back the debt.

“Manitoba taxpayers can’t afford to keep wasting billions of dollars every year on debt interest payments,” said Haubrich. “The Manitoba government needs to find savings and rein in spending in Budget 2026 to start paying down debt.”

The Manitoba government’s pre-budget consultation is open until Feb. 21, 2026.

The CTF’s full pre-budget proposal is available HERE.