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Mr. Barry Devolin (Haliburton-Kawartha
Lakes-Brock, CPC):
Mr Speaker, today I want to express my appreciation to our
provincial and municipal colleagues. Conservatives believe
that each level of government should have adequate resources to
deliver the services they are responsible for.
Our Minister of Finance has listened and responded to their
requests for fairer treatment and more predictable funding.
One example is the GST rebate for municipalities. Until now,
the rebate was only 57%. Now it is 100%. This may not
sound like much, but for a single large purchase, such as a
$200,000 grader, savings will now exceed $5,000.
Another example is the extension of the gas tax fund.
Municipalities now have a seven year commitment to help them
develop their capital plans. In my riding, Kawartha Lakes
will receive $1.7 million this year, $2.2 million the next year,
and $4.5 million each year thereafter to meet local infrastructure
needs.
We respect and value
our colleagues at the provincial and municipal level. We are
doing our part to help them do their jobs.
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