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By Greg Fingas, on May 2, 2013, at 9:45 am This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Ed Broadbent takes a look at how our tax system can combat inequality in more ways than one: The Broadbent Institute is presenting proposals Tuesday to the Finance Committee of the House of Commons. Our primary recommendation is that Canada establish as a goal the provision of a basic income-tested guarantee to all citizens through a fairer personal income tax system.
The tax/transfer system equalizes income in two important ways. First, progressive income taxes mean that the affluent pay a higher percentage of income than middle and low income earners. Second, these (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on April 10, 2013, at 10:28 pm Not surprisingly, the social policy resolutions up for discussion this weekend include a wide range of issues – and I’ll avoid highlighting the resolutions dealing with either familiar topics of discussion like gun control, marijuana decriminalization/legalization and housing.
Instead, I’ll point out three resolutions which look to deserve particular attention: 3-39-13Resolution on the Impact of Economic, Social, and Environmental Factors on Individual Health Care Submitted by the Quebec SectionBE IT RESOLVED that the following clauses be added to Subsection 3.1(r) of the Policy Book:• Acknowledging that economic, social, and environmental factors impact individual, public, and community
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: #mtlqc13 Priority Resolutions – Social Policy
By Greg Fingas, on April 2, 2013, at 10:56 am This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- George Monbiot proposes a basic income as one of the great ideas needed to challenge corporatist orthodoxy: A basic income (also known as a citizen’s income) gives everyone, rich and poor, without means-testing or conditions, a guaranteed sum every week. It replaces some but not all benefits (there would, for instance, be extra payments for pensioners and people with disabilities). It banishes the fear and insecurity now stalking the poorer half of the population. Economic survival becomes a right, not a privilege.
A basic income removes the stigma of benefits while also
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
By Iglika Ivanova, on February 14, 2013, at 2:31 pm A new CCPA (National) report by Marc Lee and myself argues that Canada’s tax system needs a “fairness” overhaul and presents a framework for progressive tax reform. Those of you who have been following our tax work so far will find this study a great complement to the BC Tax Options Paper.
Tax policy is an important lever for governments to tackle income inequality, which is why it is particularly important to strengthen tax fairness now, given the increased concentration of income and wealth we’re seeing in Canada. We also call for a comprehensive tax review of the entire system
. . . → Read More: The Progressive Economics Forum: Fairness by design: a framework for tax reform in Canada
By Greg Fingas, on January 3, 2013, at 9:56 am This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Barbara Yaffe lets Hugh Segal make the case for a guaranteed annual income to end poverty in Canada: (Hugh Segal) says it could be arranged by way of a tax credit through the income tax system, to top up income of anyone falling below Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cutoff (LICO).
LICO for a single person is about $22,200; for a family with three children, roughly $47,000.
“In other words,” writes Segal, “being poor would become a problem we all buffered in the same way as we buffer all Canadians relative to health
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on November 20, 2012, at 8:17 am This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Laura Ryckewaert reports that Elections Canada’s response to Robocon is now including an unprecedented level of public consultation, while Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor are digging deeper into voters’ complain… . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on November 17, 2012, at 12:04 pm Assorted content for your weekend reading.- Bill Curry reports on the Cons’ latest public-sector slashing. But there hasn’t yet been much discussion of the most alarming number: upwards of 30% of the Cons’ cuts are coming from the Canada Revenue Agency… . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on October 9, 2012, at 10:01 am This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Ed Broadbent and the Broadbent Institute are putting together a strong public push on the problem of growing inequality – featuring a video, op-ed and research paper (PDF). For more, see coverage from Rachel Mendleson, Natalie Stechyson, and CBC News.
- Today’s handy reporting tip from Bill Curry: when corporate profits rise at the same time as rates are reduced, that’s irrefutable evidence of causation. But when corporate profits were previously higher under a higher rate, that’s a “blip” to be ignored.
- Jill Lepore offers a history
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on July 10, 2012, at 7:12 pm Of all the possible answers to the suggestion of a guaranteed annual income, I for one didn’t see “how can you speak of such a thing at a time like this?” as a particularly likely one. But since it seems to be the stock response, let’s point out just how little sense it makes.
Sure, we may have come to see as an iron law of politics that policy proceeds in two phases. Step 1, business blowhards and their right-wing cronies inflate easily-foreseeable bubbles for nobody’s benefit but their own; step 2, progressives clean up the mess in
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Why now
By Greg Fingas, on July 8, 2012, at 1:43 pm Let’s follow on the theme of both Thursday’s column and the Mound of Sound’s post with a closer look at the corporatist “there are no bad jobs” philosophy – which serves as the obvious foundation for constant attacks on wages, unions and workers even if it’s been walked back as a direct statement of principle from Jim Flaherty. And for a frame of comparison, let’s look at another concept that carries similar significance both in personal fulfillment and in public policy.
Most people will spend the vast majority of their time and effort building two aspects of their life: a
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: On parallel pursuits
By Greg Fingas, on July 5, 2012, at 10:04 am Here, on how the most important labour reform Saskatchewan could pursue would be a guaranteed annual income that allows workers to plan for the long term rather than being stuck in low-income traps.
For more on the Mincome project discussed in the column, see here and here. And anybody interested in taking up the message with the Wall government can do so here.
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