PCs: Prentice reconsiders charitable tax credit changes

Joined by members of the Calgary philanthropic and charitable community, Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice said today that after hearing directly from Albertans during the course of the election campaign, he has reconsidered the reduction to the charitable donation tax credit in the budget, and a PC government will maintain the previous rate.
“I’ve said during this campaign that leadership is about difficult and sometimes unpopular choices,” Prentice said. “But hearing from Albertans during this campaign, it’s become clear that this choice was more than simply unpopular. Rather, Albertans have told me it was seen as contrary to our values as Albertans – values of generosity, community, and looking out for one another. These are the leaders who manage your charitable dollars to deliver critical services and cultural excellence.These are the people we turn to, to help build and support our communities and we cannot tolerate even the impression that we might put that in jeopardy.”
Prentice pointed out that the measure would have resulted in savings of about $90 million annually, but that not moving forward with the change will not affect the timeline for balancing the provincial budget.
“Our plan has fiscal discipline at its core,” said Prentice. “This is a small change, but an important one and one we must take to respect what Albertans have told us. We will continue to move forward with a realistic plan, taking immediate action on challenges we face, while breaking the boom and bust cycle and saving for future generations.”