Ontario families have a right to know how much the HST will cost them on things like home heating and gasoline, but the McGuinty government refuses to release the amounts, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath revealed today.

“Does the premier believe taxpayers don’t have a right to know how much the HST will cost them?” Horwath asked.

“Or is he afraid of the backlash he’ll face from Ontario families if he tells the truth about the real costs of this widely-opposed new tax?”

Noting that the government has been able to report exactly how much each HST exemption will cost the treasury, Horwath asked Premier Dalton McGuinty in Question Period today to come clean on how much money the government expects to collect on things it hasn’t exempted.

Horwath noted the NDP filed a Freedom of Information request to find out how much new money the government expects to collect from taxpayers’ pockets once the HST is in place. The request was denied.

“This government loves to talk about savings, but Ontarians deserve to know how much money the government expects to take from their pockets under the HST,” Horwath said.

“People want answers and accountability, but today the Premier had the arrogance to tell Ontarians their only forum for being heard on the HST is around the water cooler or on blogs. Ontario families deserve to have their voices heard on a new tax no one wants.”