Bevington responds to MLA's criticism
Yellowknife Centre MLA says Western Arctic MP missed the mark with his cost of living report
Candace Thomson and Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 13, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington is standing by his proposal last month to update the federal taxation system to help Northerners with lower incomes, despite it coming under fire from a Yellowknife MLA.
"If you're in a family with three children and you're earning $30,000 and paying no taxes already, an extra tax deduction doesn't work for you that well," he said while admitting a suggestion for a tax-free zone by Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins was a good idea.
"Perhaps we could look at a tax credit zone."
Earlier this week, Hawkins went after the cost of living report released by Bevington late last month. The report, which called for a higher Northern residents' tax deduction, didn't sit well with Hawkins, who said federal taxes should be eliminated all together for those with lower incomes - $35,000 per year and under - and a higher cost of living.
"There's more to the story than just stats - there's real life," Hawkins told Yellowknifer.
"(Bevington) doesn't take the full accounting of the situation."
Lowering power rates directly to the consumer, re-vamping income
support programs and increasing the options for Northerners who want to enter home ownership would go further to tackle
poverty, Hawkins added.
Hawkins also went after Bevington's call for more federal investment in renewable energy, saying he'd rather see more funding to expand the hydro grid to connect the North and South Slave regions.
He also argued Bevington's recommendation to direct the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to redirect Northern-development funding to micro enterprises is a moot point, as the NDP MP has no power over the federal agency.
"Whether I have sway over it or not is not really the point. I think what's clear within the economic development strategy is they looked at sustainability endeavours," said Bevington in response.
"I'm in opposition. I can't tell the government what to do, but I can advise my party, who may be in government in two years, what to do.
"My goal is to raise awareness, to understand better what the cost of living and what the implications are. That's what we took on in doing the report."
The pair do agree that the cost of living in on the rise in the North, and that something should be done to assist those living paycheque to paycheque.
"I would be the first to say there's poverty in the NWT and disparity in incomes in communities. Yellowknife has the highest income, but the highest rents," said Hawkins.
