Cambridge and North Dumfries MPP Rob Leone continued the fight to stop a government trades tax that will drive up costs for trades people, employers and residents in Cambridge and North Dumfries.

 “I pledge to the hardworking tradespeople and residents of my riding that I will oppose any and all efforts by the McGuinty-Wynne government to impose a trades tax,” said Leone. “The trades tax will make almost everything more expensive, from practicing a trade to getting your hair cut or car serviced.”

Today’s signing is part of a province-wide campaign that encourages MPPs to stand up for tradespeople and local residents, by signing a pledge to Stop The Trades Tax.

“On behalf of tradespeople and businesses across Ontario, I want to thank Rob for his support,” said Sean Reid, Chair of the Stop The Trades Tax Campaign. “The trades tax will drive good people out of the trades, by sticking tradespeople and employers with millions of dollars in new costs.”

The McGuinty-Wynne government is planning to force Ontario tradespeople to pay membership fees, or a trades tax, to fund its newest bureaucracy, the Ontario College of Trades beginning on April 8th. It is expected that employers will start paying the tax in 2014.

Leone worries it will lead to an exodus of skilled tradespeople to other provinces at a time when Ontario has a skilled trades shortage and red tape is taking a serious toll on the sector.

“Not only do these fees need to be scrapped, but the Ontario College of Trades also needs to be abolished,” Leone noted. “Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are committed to abolishing this unnecessary and costly bureaucracy.”  The Ontario PC Caucus will present an opposition day motion for April 10th calling on the government to abolish the Ontario College of Trades.  A vote will take place at the end of the day on Wednesday.

The Stop The Trades Tax campaign was launched in 2011 and has grown to 31 organizations whose members represent more than 8,000 small, medium and large Ontario businesses and 130,000 skilled tradespeople across the province. The campaign is supported by tradespeople and business owners who fix our cars, our roads, cut our hair, and build and renovate our homes and hospitals.