For Immediate Release
November 20, 2024
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) says government should help families by removing the HST from select children’s goods, including include clothing, footwear, and car seats.
The Campaign 2000 report card on child and family poverty in Canada report, released earlier this week, highlighted that this year Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest increase in child poverty for children under the age of six. Dinn says that removing the HST from select children’s goods will help families purchase essentials such as winter coats and boots, diapers, and car seats.
“Inflation may have calmed, but prices remain high. For most people in our province, wages have failed to keep up, meaning that our money doesn’t go as far as it once did,” said Dinn. “Many people have to hold off on growing their family because they just can’t afford it. This is a way to encourage people to start families and ease the burden of the cost of these essentials.”
Just last week, the Liberals and Conservatives voted against the NDP motion to eliminate the provincial portion of HST from all forms of home heating. Dinn confirms that his party recognizes how the middle class is struggling and that government must do more.
“This government seems to have forgotten about the middle class in this province. While they offer a few programs to help, the income threshold is incredibly low, leaving out a wide section of our province who are pleading for help,” said Dinn. “To receive full Child Benefit, a family income must be less than $17,397, with the size of the payment decreasing as income goes up, until it’s phased out completely at $28,500. That leaves out a lot of families in this province.
“The NDP wants all children to have the essentials in their early years. Removing the HST would help everyone, but it would be immediate needed relief for low income and middle class families.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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