Jobs are priority for Stephen Mazurek
Posted Feb 25, 2010 By Roy Lewis
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Tweet ThisEMC News - For Liberal candidate Stephen Mazurek, the number one, two and three priorities in the Leeds-Grenville by-election are jobs because "in my mind everything else flows from them."
Recognizing that the last year has been challenging for businesses in this region and around the world, Mazurek said, "the good news is Ontario created 30,000 jobs in January - the majority of those being full-time."
And the Liberal government, through the Eastern Ontario Development Fund, has supported local businesses such as Trillium Health Care Products and Burnbrae Farms "that are creating jobs and building their business," he added.
But Mazurek said Ontario needs a long-term strategy to attract businesses and spur economic growth, including in Leeds and Grenville. A key part of the strategy is the Liberal government proposal to merge the federal goods and services tax and the provincial sales taxes into the Harmonized Sales Tax or HST.
Currently, the provincial sales tax is charged on various costs throughout the production of an item. In fact, $4.5 billion in taxes are hidden in the cost of doing business in Ontario, explained Mazurek. For consumers, these taxes are buried in the price and for businesses it is a huge disincentive to invest in new technology and new workers, he said.
"Under our single, harmonized tax, businesses will be reimbursed the provincial tax they pay on the things they buy everyday to run their business," he added.
Mazurek, who with his brother John, has operated Tait's Bakery for just over 30 years, said his business will save taxes on such things as flour, baking equipment, office furniture, aprons "and even the stir sticks people use in their morning coffee." Noting it will be a huge cost savings for small businesses like his, Mazurek said he will also spend less time filling out tax forms and more time "building my business and providing for my family."
The Liberal government's comprehensive tax package will cut the corporate tax rate from 14 per cent to 10 per cent by 2013, eliminate the capital tax on new business investment as of July 1 and cut the small business corporate tax rate from 5.5 to 4.5 per cent. Mazurek also mentioned noted economist Jack Mintz said the tax changes will create 591,000 jobs in 10 years, increase investment by $47 billion and raise the incomes of Ontario workers by 8.8 per cent.
Saying that the HST will affect each resident and business differently, Mazurek proposes, if elected, to set aside specific office hours within the constituency office to provide a HST walk-in clinic to assist constituents looking for specific information and greater understanding on how these tax changes will affect them.
Mazurek also plans to create jobs in this region by promoting green technology through firms such as Upper Canada Solar Energy and the Greenfield Ethanol plant.
Actively involved in the community, Mazurek has worked with many organizations, including The Kidney Foundation, Harvest Sharing Food Bank and the Brockville Chamber of Commerce. He is married to Shereen and they have three children, Matthew, Marisha and Brodie.
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