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After four months of delay and partisan bickering, Liberal MPs are still struggling to move their post-election budget bill through the Commons finance committee — with no clear path to passage in sight.Blacklock's Reporter says Bill C-4, An Act Respecting Certain Affordability Measures, was introduced in June and would cut the federal tax rate on the first $57,375 of personal income from 15% to 14% by 2026. The Department of Finance estimates the measure will cost $5.5 billion annually. Conservatives proposed going further, slashing the rate to 12.75% — a move that would save taxpayers more but reduce government revenue by roughly $14.1 billion.That proposal sparked an outburst from Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull, parliamentary secretary for finance, who accused the Opposition of refusing to accept election results. “They did not form government,” Turnbull told the committee. “They actually lost the last election, which they maybe have forgotten. We’ll remind them every day as we govern.”.Turnbull refused to allow the Conservative amendment to come to a vote, effectively freezing the bill in committee. “They are asking us to forego billions, tens of billions of dollars that can be spent into the economy,” he said. “This would compromise the stability of Canada’s economy and our ability to spend in other areas.”The Liberals’ frustration boiled over as the deadlock dragged on. “It would be irresponsible,” said MP Carlos Leitao of Quebec. “We find this surprising.” MP Jake Sawatzky of B.C. warned that Conservative tax cuts could force cuts to “climate programs,” calling it a “moral responsibility” to protect them..Conservative MPs fired back that the government’s refusal to even vote on their amendment exposed its weak position. “Liberals don’t have a majority on any Commons committee,” said Alberta MP Pat Kelly. “If they can’t even handle allowing this amendment to come to a vote, that’s on them.”Calgary MP Jasraj Hallan, who proposed the deeper tax cut, said it reflects what voters want. “This was part of our campaign platform,” he said. “It’s a bring-it-home tax cut that will save average families even more.”Bill C-4 passed second reading in June but has since languished in committee. Without at least one Conservative or Bloc Québécois vote, the Liberals do not have the numbers to move it forward — leaving their first major budget measure stalled indefinitely.
