Dear editor,
The proposed tax changes are being met by income earners in alignment with their political views.
The argument is these are necessary to end legal tax avoidance options available through incorporation, and will therefore reduce the inequality gap. Opposition is coming from doctors, farmers, small business owners, and a few others - but not truly “the one per cent” who escaped the net cast by the finance minister because Bill Morneau and PM Justin Trudeau are in that class, along with those exercising stock options and sending money offshore - but not paying more taxes under this revision.
There were numerous business closures following the 2009 recession. Those that survived did so on the resources of their owners. Suitable employment for wage earners declined as a result. Now these same businesses will have to wade through more CRA red tape, being alleged “tax cheats.” I pay a bookkeeper, lawyer, and accountant now so that I can submit GST that I collect in an accurate and timely manner.
A routine audit will be much costlier and I expect more shops might go under. Family farms may get taken over by agri-food corporations, and doctors - who are told what they can bill - will see less of what they can keep. A physician in Canada earns about half what the could in the US, so you will not get more medical services as a result.
A person in the bottom tax bracket will not get more out of this anyway. ‘Robin Hood’ Morneau is taxing from the middle-class and giving to Bombardier, Quebec transfer payments, and running a multi-billion-dollar deficit.
This really is about class warfare, the ultra-rich will not be touched. A low-income earner who wants a higher ($15) minimum wage is just going to see inflation and their buying power reduced, if there are still any jobs available. Aim your frustrations higher - at the politicians.
Dan Kyle,
Courtenay