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With duelling Liberal and Conservative caucus retreats underway this week, the government’s proposed tax changes are quickly taking centre stage as each party tries to frame the debate.

The Conservatives are describing it as a debilitating punishment on small business owners and everyone else who gets tax advantages by owning a private corporation. The Liberals, meanwhile, argue it will only affect the wealthy who are using the corporations to avoid paying their fair share of income tax.

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“If they knew, if they understood, if they cared, the Liberals would not be punishing local businesses and their employees with crippling new taxes,” Conservative leader Andrew Scheer told his caucus in Winnipeg, arguing the tax changes could lead to layoffs.

“We’re talking about the mom and pop businesses that sustain our communities. The cashier working at the hardware store down the street, or the college kid who just got his first job with the local landscaper.”