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BATTLEFORDS — Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie supports the Saskatchewan NDP’s call for the provincial government to remove the PST from construction.
The Saskatchewan Party government introduced a six per cent PST on construction labour, which applies to labour and materials, in 2017.
“[I have been] advocating for [the removal] since the provincial government added PST to construction,” Leslie said in an email to SaskToday. “The [Battleford] arena [expansion] project will have approximately $200,000 of PST, or close to the cost of a block of sidewalks.”
Erika Ritchie, Saskatchewan NDP government relations shadow minister, attended the Battlefords and District Chamber of Commerce chair’s luncheon south of Battleford on Jan. 26. She told reporters why it is important to remove the PST from construction.
“[Premier] Scott Moe and the Sask. Party are covering up for their own mismanagement,” Ritchie said. “We’re facing down $40 billion in debt as a province right now due to their mismanagement. What we really need to see are opportunities to allow our businesses and our communities to thrive. That’s why we’re asking for this tax to be removed.”
“We heard it last week from the mayor of Regina and the impact it’s causing on large cities to be able to invest in the infrastructure that their cities are needing,” she added. “What we’re also seeing is that we lost 4,000 jobs in December. We’re seeing population decline and stagnation. By removing the tax, we can see the investment that will grow our economy, grow our population and allow cities and towns to be able to invest in their infrastructure.”
In response, Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement the provincial government is committed to working with and supporting municipalities in Saskatchewan, including in the Battlefords.
“A broad application of PST ensures that a fairly applied, reliable and sustainable source of revenue is available to fund the many public services provided by our government, including healthcare, education, infrastructure, and grants to the municipal sector through Municipal Revenue Sharing (MRS),” he said.
Cockrill said MRS is based on a percentage of provincial PST revenues and allows municipalities to receive “predictable funding” with no strings attached.
“MRS funding to both North Battleford and Battleford has more than tripled since the program was first introduced by the Saskatchewan Party,” he said.
Cockrill added Saskatchewan is also seeing low unemployment, major capital investment and increasing global demand for products made in the province.
