OTTAWA -- Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is taking aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his proposed tax reform in a new video attack ad.
The 30-second English advertisement, obtained by CTV News, shapes the proposed tax overhaul as something that will hurt local businesses. The Tories have also created a French version.
The Conservatives will start running the ad online tomorrow, and on television starting Oct. 9, a source said.
Today is the last day of the government’s consultation period on the tax proposal.
“The Trudeau Liberals are threatening local businesses with big new tax hikes. Now, I won’t just stand by and let the Liberals drive them into the ground,” says Scheer in the video.
The script for the video ad is identical to the radio spot the Conservatives released when Scheer first unveiled the party’s “Save Local Business” campaign in September.
The campaign website directs people to the Conservative Party site, where donations are being solicited for the national ad buy.
The ad uses stock footage to depict a diverse range of people working in small businesses, from a bakery, to a barber shop.
The Conservative caucus has been pushing back hard on the tax proposal since it was first unveiled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau in July. The government billed it as closing tax loopholes that have allowed high-earning business owners to avoid higher tax rates, in the name of tax fairness.
The changes will target so-called "income sprinkling," which allows a business owner to split his or her income among family members, whether they are involved in the business or not. The government also wants to change methods of converting income into dividends and capital gains, and limit passive business income taxation.
The government says the biggest impact will be felt by business owners with annual incomes of $150,000 or more.
But, the Conservatives have focused in on how the changes could impact middle class earners, citing examples like mom and pop shops, and family farms.
Since the House of Commons resumed sitting last month, the Conservatives have dedicated more than 170 of their Question Period slots to attack the government on this policy change.
-With files from CTV News’ Glen McGregor
