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Conservative party faithful continued to downplay speculation Sunday that federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper are at odds over the party’s policy on income splitting.

Harper’s lead spokesman, Jason MacDonald, was adamant there is no disagreement between the two ministers, telling CTV’s Question Period the government was committed to reducing the tax burden for Canadians, but not at the expense of a balanced budget.

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“I think everybody’s clear what our priorities are as a government: create jobs, balance the budget,” he said.

I think everybody’s clear what our priorities are

MacDonald refused to offer a clear answer on whether income splitting, a key promise in the Conservative’s 2011 election campaign, was off the table for good.

Pressed on the issue, MacDonald toed the party line that has emerged in the last week since Flaherty publicly announced he didn’t much care for the policy, which would have allowed couples with children under 18 to transfer up to $50,000 to the lower-earning spouse for tax purposes.