Should the Conservatives make good on their promise to introduce income splitting for couples with children under 18 before the next federal election, Justin Trudeau says a Liberal government would move to reverse that decision.
Trudeau, who was in Toronto to promote his newly published memoir Common Ground, which he's released ahead of next year's federal election, spoke to the media Monday morning.
Asked what tax measures he would specifically look to reverse, Trudeau pointed to Stephen Harper's proposal to introduce income splitting once the deficit is eliminated.
"It doesn't help the people who need it most and it costs Canadians an awful lot to do. It doesn't make sense," Trudeau said.
Trudeau made it clear during an interview on Sunday he would not reverse pension splitting for seniors — a separate tax measure the Conservatives introduced in 2007.
Trudeau has already said a Liberal government would reverse the Harper government's decision to raise the age of eligibility for Old Age Security from 65 to 67.
On Monday, he also left the door open to reversing other tax relief measures.
The Conservatives first promised to bring in income splitting for couples with children under 18 during the 2011 federal election campaign, but have since seen their caucus divided on the issue.
The late finance minister Jim Flaherty backed away from the proposal in February when he said it would appear to only benefit a small number of Canadians.
