The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, a junk food tax won't upset us. A recent poll found that 61 per cent of Manitobans favour the idea of a special tax for unhealthy food as long as the revenue went toward health care costs. The poll, conducted by the Doer government, found that less than one-fifth of respondents Ñ 18 per cent Ñ opposed the notion. But don't expect to pay a 'fat tax' any time soon, as Finance Minister Greg Selinger told the media that "that's not the direction we're going" at this time. Other findings from the poll include: About 30 per cent of respondents support adding a three-cent per litre gas tax to pay for fixing streets and highways. Twenty-four per cent agreed with charging an annual health-care premium. About 23 per cent support raising the PST by one per cent. The thought of any new taxes met a fierce opponent in PC Party Leader Stuart Murray, who remarked, "There's no reason to raise taxes of any kind." The poll of 1,003 Manitobans was conducted between February 5 and 13 by Prairie Research Associates.6/17/2004
