More Money in Your Pocket

Cut the HST from 15% to 13%

It’s unfair for Nova Scotians to pay the highest sales tax in the country and immediate relief is needed for those having trouble making ends meet. Further, provincial revenues have increased significantly over the past two years and Nova Scotians deserve to get some of that money back. A Nova Scotia Liberal government would reduce the HST by two percentage points from 15% to 13%—saving families an average of $1,400 each year.

Lower Income Taxes

Nova Scotians pay some of the highest income taxes in the country, with an extremely low personal basic exemption amount that hasn’t been indexed to inflation. We will make a one-time increase to the personal basic exemption to $15,705 and ensure it remains indexed to inflation. This will lower the amount payable when you file your income taxes. We’ll also double the benefit currently received by earners under $75K, further lowering their taxes to provide additional help to middle class families. These changes will result in Nova Scotia having the lowest personal income taxes in Atlantic Canada.

Eliminate the Carbon Tax

We believe in the importance of doing our part in the fight against climate change, and we also recognize that the federal carbon tax isn’t the right fit for Nova Scotia. From 2017-2022, under the previous Liberal government, a Cap and Trade model worked to reduce emissions without punishing Nova Scotians. But then it was scrapped by Tim Houston, resulting in the current consumer pricing system.

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will get rid of the carbon tax. To ensure we are still doing our part to lower pollution, we will work with other Atlantic Provinces to establish a Cap and Trade program that will reduce large industrial pollution without punishing consumers at the gas pumps.

Lower Your Energy Bills

To reduce power rates, we need more competition for power generation. We will do this by expanding the ability of renewable energy companies to provide power directly to Nova Scotians and aggressively holding Nova Scotia Power responsible for meeting legislated performance targets.

Expand the Heating Assistance Rebate Program

We will expand the Heating Assistance Rebate Program to help low-income Nova Scotians with their energy bills, saving them $1,000 a year.

Invest in Energy Efficiency Programs

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will expand energy efficiency programs, including heat pump and weatherization programs, to help middle class Nova Scotians save money on power and help our environment. We will:

• Eliminate the fee for the Home Energy Assessment for all Nova Scotians,
• Increase rebates for heat efficiency programs such as the heat system rebates, and
• Ensure that renters and small landlords can benefit from energy efficiency upgrades and savings.

Invest in Renewable Energy

Tim Houston hasn’t shut down a single coal power plant, and Nova Scotians are paying more than ever before for energy. We will redouble our efforts to get Nova Scotia off coal without simply substituting fuel oil in power plants.

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will expand renewable power generation in Nova Scotia to keep costs down, including:

• Investing substantially in renewable generation with in-province wind, solar, and battery farms, and
• Ensure that the sites in Nova Scotia with the best wind power generating potential are being used for projects to get our province off coal power and lower power bills.

Ensure Nova Scotian Wind Energy Benefits Nova Scotians

Energy generated from local wind farms should be greening the local power grid and benefiting Nova Scotians first. Instead, the Houston government is shipping energy generated from our wind farms overseas. A Nova Scotia Liberal government will take a strong stance to ensure that Nova Scotian wind energy benefits Nova Scotians. We’ll strongly regulate land leasing, water access, and generation capacity to ensure that all Nova Scotians are benefitting from our natural resources. Further, all renewable energy projects would be required to either put electricity into our grid or pay into a fund that will be used to lower power rates for consumers.

Improve Grid Infrastructure

Our power grid must be reliable as we get more renewable energy online. A Nova Scotia Liberal government will work with the federal government to advance interregional electricity transmission planning and coordination to stabilize energy costs. This will increase access to affordable clean energy while both bolstering grid reliability at times of high energy demand and improving resilience against extreme weather.

Remove HST from All Groceries

Currently, consumers do not pay HST on basic groceries like fruit, flour, and milk. However, many foods that families rely on are still subject to a 15% HST. These include foods like granola bars, pre-made salads, and sandwiches at the grocery store. A Nova Scotia Liberal government would remove the provincial sales tax from all food in grocery stores.

Improve Grocery Competition

When local grocers can compete with the big stores, prices go down, people buy more local products, and money stays in our communities. To improve competition in the grocery market, a Nova Scotia Liberal government will:

• Ban restrictive covenants that determine where grocery stores can be built. This will increase competition and improve availability of grocery stores across the province, especially in rural areas, and
• Invest in independent grocery stores by providing grants and loans so they can expand to better serve their communities and compete against large grocery stores.

Actually Support Buying Local

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will immediately halt all payments to Sobeys for the Nova Scotia Loyal program, and instead invest that money in developing a comprehensive marketing and growth plan for local products.

Invest in Affordable Food Programs

We will invest $10M to expand affordable food programs across the province by building new food hubs, expanding programs that buy excess food from farmers to sell directly to Nova Scotians, and investing in mobile food markets.

Make Public Transit Free

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will make public transit free across Nova Scotia, eliminating barriers to transportation and providing up to $5,000 per year in savings for those who switch from driving to commuting by public transit. We will also invest to increase public transit capacity to account for the expected growth in ridership, ensure system efficiency, and support more accessible transit options.

Invest in Rural Community Transport

We’ll make the largest investment in rural community transport in Nova Scotia’s history, ensuring that community transportation organizations can lower costs and increase services.

Double the Seniors Care Grant

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will provide dedicated support to seniors by doubling the tax-free seniors care grant to $1,500 each year to help them stay in their homes longer, stay healthy, and live better lives. We will also increase program eligibility so that households with up to $50,000 in annual income are eligible.

Overhaul our Current Social Assistance Model

Our current social safety net is trapping Nova Scotians in intergenerational poverty, requires significant bureaucratic overhead, and often disincentivizes working. Together, we can transform the various social assistance programs to ensure that people who are struggling can afford the basic necessities and not find themselves on the streets. We will reform these systems so they work for everyone. To do that, we will spearhead an all-party committee to overhaul our social assistance model and examine alternatives, including a guaranteed basic income.

Improve Funding Model for Non-Profits

Non-profit and service delivery organizations are not able to appropriately deliver for their communities or plan for the long term when they must apply for provincial funding on an annual basis. Not only do they not know what funding is coming from year to year but, once approved, the delivery of funding is often delayed by as much as 9-10 months into the fiscal year, leaving organizations in the lurch. We will prioritize multi-year funding agreements for successful organizations that have a proven track record of providing core programming for their communities.