Mr. Poilievre has promised a personal income tax cut that would cost the federal treasury $7-billion in the first year and $14-billion a year by the time it is fully implemented in the third year. His proposal to defer capital gains taxes for investors who reinvest their money in Canada would cost $5.5-billion a year for two years. With all the other tax cuts and spending promises, it could easily add $15-billion or more to the deficit.

Now the Conservatives have to say what they would cut to avoid a ballooning deficit.

Mr. Carney also proposes a tax cut that would cost $6-billion a year – along with other targeted tax cuts and a series of spending promises. With all that, the operating budget will not balance itself in three years.

The Liberal Leader has made it clear that he is willing to run a deficit for capital spending, so increased expenditures on military equipment and infrastructure can mostly be placed in that column.

And, of course, that’s the main reason they have waited this long before revealing the costs – because it means talking about cuts or deficits. That’s the last thing they want to tell voters.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/opinion/article-time-to-tell-us-how-election-promises-add-up/