Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he will not enact a tax on health and dental benefits, after days of refusing to rule out the option.
Earlier Wednesday, the Liberals wouldn’t say whether they intended to tax employer-sponsored health and dental benefits as a means to increase revenue while the government runs deficits.
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When asked whether Canadians could expect to see that measure in the upcoming budget, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said only that the middle class’s wellbeing and prosperity is top of mind for the government.
Though Trudeau ruled out the option Wednesday in response to a question from interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose, similar questions from her earlier in the week were met with much murkier answers.
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Trudeau avoided answering the question directly, saying only the 2017 budget will focus on helping families, and waiting until Wednesday to rule out the option.
His denial Wednesday was met with applause after Ambrose said his decision was “good news” for the middle class.
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