In respect to “That time of year again” and our MP’s information letters regarding ‘taxes”, I wish to comment as follows.
It wasn’t too long ago that ‘Political Conservatism’ meant ‘Economic Conservatism’; that is, economic and budgetary prudence and responsibility and ‘balanced budgets.’
Not any longer, it seems. At least if we are to believe what our federal government is doing.
Canada has a national debt of over one-half trillion dollars. The annual interest to service that debt is in the 10’s of billions of dollars.
Canada has an annual projected deficit (expenditures over receipts) of over 60 billion dollars.
Our national government wants to spend billions more on a so-called ‘stealth’ war plane so Canada will be positioned to fight, at some undeclared point of time, an unyet determined enemy.
Our national government also wants to give Canada’s already highly profitable corporate sector, which includes the chartered banks, another tax cut despite that the existing Canadian corporate tax rate is now lower than that of our neighbour to the south.
Canada’s aging infrastructure requires literally hundreds of billions of dollars to repair and replace.
It is apparent that our national government is relying for its re-election on “you can have something for nothing” and getting people to believe that you can continue to cut government revenue (taxes) and still provide public services.
In any other context except it seems politics, most people would reject that notion as ‘fraudulent’.
What was it the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandies stated? Something to the effect that “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”
We are long past time to decide which way we want to go: fewer and fewer taxes or a civilized society that can provide services – especially to those members most vulnerable and in need.
Robert (Bob) Hagman
Enderby
