One of my main priorities since becoming Leader of the Ontario PC Party has been to in fight the implementation of the Dalton Sales Tax.

Starting next summer, Dalton McGuinty plans to merge the PST and GST into one tax, which means the PST will be applied to a whole new range of goods and services previously not taxed in Ontario. We call it the Dalton Sales Tax or DST.

In recent weeks, I have travelled around Ontario to demonstrate the different ways the DST will affect Ontario families on an everyday basis. My caucus colleague Lisa MacLeod, who I appointed as my Revenue Critic, has been with me for many of the tour stops. Lisa will play a lead role in the Legislature and across the province in fighting the DST tooth and nail.

Our tour stop in Ottawa brought us to a gas station, where we demonstrated how the DST will apply directly to the cost of gasoline on top of the gas tax the province already collects. For a commuter who has to fill up a Toyota Camry weekly at 90 cents a litre, it means over $200 per year in additional tax.

In Kitchener, we focused on how all prepared food under $4 will now come with a side of DST. This additional tax will apply to many meals prepared in school and hospital cafeterias, restaurants across the province, and even to our Tim Horton’s coffee. Seniors who enjoy getting their double-double and a muffin in the morning will have to pay $50 more a year for those two items alone.

While you might be able to afford to take your family on vacation, there will be no vacation from the DST. In North Bay, I demonstrated how you’ll pay more to stay at campsites and hotels, and during your stay you’ll also pay more for such things as boat rentals, fishing licences, golf fees and tickets to the theatre or local sporting events.

Ontario families already have to work hard enough to manage household expenses, balance the chequebook and pay the bills. With the DST, it will be even harder for them to keep their finances afloat. My caucus and I believe this staggering tax must be stopped, especially at a time when families can so ill afford it.

Today, I am asking you to join me and the Ontario PC Caucus in the fight to stop the DST by signing a petition to oppose Dalton’s massive tax grab. The petition is available on our Stop the DST website at www.daltonsalestax.com. We have to tell Dalton McGuinty now that enough is enough, because starting July 1, 2010, the DST will hit everyone, everywhere in this province.