Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s pledge to axe the GST sales tax on homes should his government win the next election would be an excellent first step towards making housing affordable again.

Or, at least, somewhat more affordable.

When the GST was introduced on Jan. 1, 1991, by Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, it was accompanied with a full rebate on homes up to $350,000 and a sliding scale for homes up to $450,000.  The five per cent tax was supposed to be adjusted for inflation every two years but, of course, that never occurred.