Owner of bike shop where Jim Flaherty made budget speech says he was deceived

OTTAWA – The owner of a bicycle shop where Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last year trumpeted the benefits of his budget says he feels misled.

Jose Bray, owner of the Joe Mamma bike store, says despite what the federal Conservatives say, he believes they are raising consumer taxes by increasing tariffs on goods imported from dozens of countries.

Bray’s shop was the backdrop last October of a Flaherty news conference, where the minister announced measures to be included in his budget implementation bill.

At the news conference, Flaherty declared that he would not raise taxes and would give small businesses a tax credit.

But Bray says Flaherty has increased taxes, by way of new tariffs that he says will increase prices for a number of consumer products, including bicycles.

NDP critic Murray Rankin says the Conservatives are raising tariffs to 13 per cent from 8.5 per cent.

The New Democrats say Canada annually imports $125 million in bicycles from the 72 countries covered by the increase.