In my previous post, I mused about how much better society could be if we had fair and progressive taxation, taxation that forced those who make a lot to pay a little more. It almost seems as if such talk today is heretical, given the anti-tax mania that is cultivated
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Politics and its Discontents: A Monday Thought Experiment
As a matter of course, I allow myself one hour of television per evening, 30 minutes local and 30 minutes of either American or Canadian national news. It is a practice I highly recommend, not simply as a means of keeping up with events in this tortured world, but also
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What Fair Taxation Could Achieve
From the print edition of the Toronto Star comes this response to a recent column by Linda McQuaig, a response that strikes me as eminently reasonable: Re Debunking billionaire claims of heroic capitalism, McQuaig, March 14 Linda McQuaig is right on the money. Since1980, the top federal tax rate has
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: It’s Time To Ask The Right Questions
The old myth that tax cuts, especially of the corporate kind, create jobs, continues to be circulated. Indeed, here in Ontario, PC leader Doug Ford is promising to reduce the corporate rate from the already historically-low 11.5% to 10.5% “to bring jobs back to Ontario.” In Australia The Canberra Times’
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Not A Dirty Word
In his column the other day, Rick Salutin wrote a stout defence of taxes, making it very clear that for him and many others, the word and the concept are hardly obscenities. Public programs need to be adequately funded and expanded, the opposite of the American mentality: Take tax reform.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Time To Reject Magical Thinking
Canadians, along with the West in general, have been fed a neoliberal diet of propaganda and policy for so long that far too many have succumbed to magical thinking, the belief that we can have it all with only minimal pain, the later in the form of lo…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta Politics: Tax Increases no longer Political Kryptonite in Canadian Elections
It’s been a rough year for Conservatives in Canada as two major elections in six months have resulted in major blows for Conservative parties in Alberta and Ottawa. In May 2015, former federal cabinet minister and bank vice-president Jim Prentice, a political moderate… Continue Reading →
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Justin Trudeau’s tax plan is good policy and great politics
Going as far back as Justin Trudeau’s leadership election, he has consistently kept his major campaign planks close to the vest. Little tidbits, like the policy on marijuana, come out in carefully crafted morsels, but for the most part we are left gues…
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Justin Trudeau’s tax plan is good policy and great politics
Going as far back as Justin Trudeau’s leadership election, he has consistently kept his major campaign planks close to the vest. Little tidbits, like the policy on marijuana, come out in carefully crafted morsels, but for the most part we are left guessing at what his first federal election campaign
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Justin Trudeau’s tax plan is good policy and great politics
Going as far back as Justin Trudeau’s leadership election, he has consistently kept his major campaign planks close to the vest. Little tidbits, like the policy on marijuana, come out in carefully crafted morsels, but for the most part we are left guessing at what his first federal election campaign
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta Politics: Sometimes living in Alberta is like living in Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day
Sometimes living in Alberta is like living in the classic film Groundhog Day, in which actor Bill Murray finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. In Alberta, relying on the cyclical nature of oil prices while… Continue Reading →
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Income Splitting and Progressive Taxation
The motivation behind the idea of Income Splitting is quite reasonable. Namely, under the current scheme, two families with identical total income can be taxed at substantially different rates, depending on how that income is distributed between both p…
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Income Splitting and Progressive Taxation
The motivation behind the idea of Income Splitting is quite reasonable. Namely, under the current scheme, two families with identical total income can be taxed at substantially different rates, depending on how that income is distributed between both parents. Given the fact that families do very often function as a
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Income Splitting and Progressive Taxation
The motivation behind the idea of Income Splitting is quite reasonable. Namely, under the current scheme, two families with identical total income can be taxed at substantially different rates, depending on how that income is distributed between both parents. Given the fact that families do very often function as a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The ‘Robin-Hood Tax’ Gains Traction
In a declaration that will likely earn him the designation ‘Enemy of the Capitalist State,’ Pope Francis recently called upon the world to redistribute its wealth in order to reduce what is likely the greatest socio-economic scourge of our times, income inequality. In his address to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Two Takes On Taxation
The contrast couldn’t be more striking. As announced by federal Fiance Minister Joe Oliver the other day, Ottawa is well on its way to posting a $9 billion surplus, but Canadians shouldn’t expect any massive new spending programs. Instead, he plans to reduce taxes once the deficit is eliminated in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Reading Recommendation.
I have a deep respect for Alex Himelfarb, the director of the Glendon School of International and Public Affairs and tireless proponent of responsible, progressive taxation. The latter, as one can well-imagine, likely makes him persona non grata in many circles, but those are likely the same circles that close
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Wisdom From A 91-Year-Old
Don’t worry. This is not one of those bromides on how to live a long and happy life. It is, however, a realistic recipe for social cohesion and progress. The letter, from Joy Taylor of Scarborough, was published in today’s Toronto Star: Today I turned 91. My friends and I
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Timely Reminder About Taxation
Responding to a column the other day by the Star’s Thomas Walkom, letter-writer Bruna Nota of Toronto offers us some timely reminders: Re: Tax a dirty word in these Thatcherite political times, March 15 Yes, most unfortunately, the culture has developed in Canada, fully supported by all big media to
Continue readingAutonomy For All: Toronto Needs Progressive Property Taxation
In November, the TTC board decided to raise fares for 2014 by approximately $60/year for people who buy metropasses every month. Many have already noted that this amount is the same as the $60 VRT that Mayor Ford and Council repealed early in this term. Quite plausibly, this is a
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