Ford’s plan to cut Ontario corporate tax and halt wage hike benefits big business: Wynne

TORONTO — Ontario’s Liberal premier says Tory promises to cut the provincial corporate income tax while halting a minimum wage hike would benefit big business while leaving workers in the lurch.

Kathleen Wynne says Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford may say he fights for the little guy, but his policies favour “the big guy.”

She says Ford has always been wealthy and “thinks like a wealthy man.”

The Tories have pledged to cut the corporate tax rate from 11.5 per cent to 10.5 per cent if they win Ontario’s spring election, saying it would stimulate job growth and lure more businesses to the province.

They have also promised to stop a planned increase that would raise the minimum wage to $15 next year.

Wynne said Thursday that her government would keep the corporate tax rate at 11.5 per cent, while the New Democrats have said they would raise it to 13 per cent.

Ford, a businessman and former Toronto city councillor, was asked Thursday how his company, Deco Labels and Tags, would benefit from his proposal.

He said the company would benefit “probably very little” but that he himself would not stand to gain anything because the business would be placed in a blind trust.

“I don’t benefit a penny … if anything I’m losing money doing this job,” he said.

Ontario’s election is set for June 7.