Manitoba’s NDP set to deliver mini-budget that unveils new tax bracket

WINNIPEG – Manitobans are expected to find out today who will be paying more — and who will be paying less — in income taxes.

The NDP government is scheduled to deliver a fiscal update, or mini-budget, this afternoon.

Premier Greg Selinger says the document will detail his plan to enact a new tax bracket on high-income earners while cutting taxes for middle and low-income families.

Selinger has said he’s been looking at recent changes in Alberta, Ontario and elsewhere.

The Alberta government recently added higher income tax rates for people earning more than $125,000 a year, while Ontario’s higher tax rates start at $150,000.

The fiscal update will lay the groundwork for an election campaign that could start as early as next Tuesday for a vote on April 19.

The New Democrats have been in power since 1999, but have been trailing far behind the Opposition Progressive Conservatives in opinion polls since raising the provincial sales tax in 2013.

Selinger has said the tax hike was needed to pay for infrastructure projects and create jobs, while Opposition Leader Brian Pallister has promised to reduce the sales tax within his first term as premier.