Article content continued

And both the Liberals and the NDP want to convince you they are the face of change in this country, in case you are searching for an alternative to the Conservatives.

How to choose? Whether you’re voting at an advance poll this weekend, or waiting until Oct. 19, we offer a guide to some key policy differences among the three parties.

This guide does not cover every policy, or theme, that the parties have discussed. For comprehensive platform information, please visit the party websites (Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green) and explore the stance of some of the smaller parties and independents, too.

MONEY MATTERS

TAX BREAKS

Each party is promising tax relief, but in different ways.

Conservatives

• Stephen Harper’s party, before the campaign, introduced a “family tax cut,” which allows couples with children under age 18 to split up to $50,000 of income for tax purposes, but caps the non-refundable benefit at $2,000.

• The Tories have boosted the annual contribution limit for tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) to $10,000 from $5,500.

• They have lowered the federal corporate tax rate to 15 per cent and promise to reduce the small business tax rate to nine per cent from the current 11 per cent by 2019.

NDP

• Tom Mulcair’s party would cancel the Conservatives’ income-splitting plan for families, arguing it benefits only the wealthiest 15 per cent.

• The NDP would reverse changes to TFSA limits, saying the increase mostly benefits the wealthy and does little for the middle class.