A couple of weeks ago I posted a quote by Winston Churchill on my Facebook page; the quote was, "There is no such thing as a good tax." Boy did that ever generate a LOT of comment.
C.S. Except
when that tax pays for things that benefit society, that help people who need
help, that makes sure our children are educated and that people receive medical
treatment, that helps to make sure that everyone is taken care of.......etc
etc.
ME: True ... but look at the wording ... "good" tax
There really is NO good tax as taxes inherently impact the 'total' population to unequal degrees. That being the case, ALL taxes should be carefully thought out, and planned, to get maximum benefit, and to be applied across the board as fairly possible.
A good example (to me) is the Carbon Tax which is very much unequally applied across the province -- hitting those in the interior and north far more than those to the south and in the larger cities.
We have the same thing now with tolls. Some area that have had transportation infrastructure already completed, are seeing people driving free and clear of tolls -- however, people in other areas are now being targeted for tolls as new projects are completed.
Churchill is right ... There is no such thing as a good tax
There really is NO good tax as taxes inherently impact the 'total' population to unequal degrees. That being the case, ALL taxes should be carefully thought out, and planned, to get maximum benefit, and to be applied across the board as fairly possible.
A good example (to me) is the Carbon Tax which is very much unequally applied across the province -- hitting those in the interior and north far more than those to the south and in the larger cities.
We have the same thing now with tolls. Some area that have had transportation infrastructure already completed, are seeing people driving free and clear of tolls -- however, people in other areas are now being targeted for tolls as new projects are completed.
Churchill is right ... There is no such thing as a good tax
C.S. I disagree. Taxes are not good or bad. They are a necessary
part of any society that believes that some things are a collective
responsibility.
ME: Necessary? -- yes
I agree -- but again the trouble in most cases, I believe, is they are not
well thought out. They often are a knee jerk reaction to financial distress
governments in most cases have created themselves.
Personally I am in favor of a flat tax, that would apply equally to all across the board, to all above 'above' a set income level
Personally I am in favor of a flat tax, that would apply equally to all across the board, to all above 'above' a set income level
E.W. -- in reply to CS ... "To make sure everyone is taken care of . . ."
Therein lies the problem - everyone - rather than those in genuine need due to
circumstances beyond their control. Having everything "free" to all
who demand is what has caused many of the problems we endure today. A little
more self-reliance and personal responsibility would go a long way.
L.M. Therein
lies the difference between a Liberal Democrat and a Conservative....makes the
world go around...slowly, but around.
C.S.
Our systems are wholly inadequate, and
mismanaged - I agree. I don't support the concept of a flat tax, however.
What's the statistic.....90 percent of the wealth is held by 10 percent of the
population? The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. A flat tax does
nothing to address that - in fact, it makes it worse. Unless ALL tax
breaks and write-offs were eliminated.
M.U.
That's the theory behind a flat tax -
although it could contain a Minimum base level so nobody under a certain income
would pay taxes. That could really be set at any standard that governments
chose. With no other deductions, "the rich" would pay a percentage of
their total income with no other deductions. That would make it fair. Hopefully, that
would eliminate the income tax claw-back for old pharts like me who live on
CPP. Sounds fair to me.
C.S. And the corporate
tax structure would need to be looked at, as well. This race to the bottom on
corporations paying their share is not working. We cannot and should not try to
compete with countries that are not on a level playing field when it comes to environmental,
labour and other laws and standards that we consider important as a society,
and that do not have the social systems in place that our taxes pay for.
Unfettered free trade does NOT work.
S.B.
You would have loved Peter Pockington who
campaigned on a flat tax of 10%, but really he was only gathering support and
votes for Mulroney to be leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. Their
scheme worked. Mulroney became our Prime Minister. Peter "Puck" went
his merry way into bankruptcy and other schemes that brought him trouble. I don't know why the flat tax idea won't fly
among those who get in power...
ME: Personally??? I
think it's because a Flat Tax is too simple, and can't really be manipulated.
