Northern MP tables more petitions to raise tax deduction

Western Arctic NDP MP Dennis Bevington is continuing his fight to change the northern residents' tax deduction, tabling two new petitions Monday in the House of Commons.

The petitions contained more than 550 signatures from northerners in all three territories. The petitions along with two similar petitions Bevington tabled Dec. 12 call for increases to the tax deduction, which was introduced in 1988 to help offset the high costs of living in northern and remote parts of Canada.

Bevington has asked federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to boost the deduction by 50 per cent, as well as index future increases to keep pace with inflation.

"It has been more than 20 years since this deduction was introduced and it has not gone up even though inflation has risen by 65 per cent," Bevington stated in a release.

Flaherty responded to Bevington's petitions last month by saying his government saw no need to increase the tax deduction. Bevington said the government believes the costs of living in the North have gone down, due in part to a new system of northern benefits introduced in 1991.

"It is clear the Conservatives are out to lunch on the North," Bevington stated. "Anyone who believes living in the North costs the same as living in the south obviously doesn't have a clue about what they are talking about."