Everyone that will benefit more under the Conservative tax plan take a step foward. If you aren't rich not so fast!
The evidence is mounting that the CPC's tax proposals offer little or no benefit to the poor and middle class, but will represent a bonanza to those who least need the help: wealthy Canadians. But hey, that whole trickle-down thing worked-out great in the 1980s, right Gipper?
CTV has a story today on a couple of recent reports from independant analysts that but the boots to the Conservative spin (Tory tax plan ultimately favours well-off: experts). It makes clear most of the benefit from the Conservative tax cuts will go to the well-heeled and not a lot will trickle down to poor Canadians.
A recent report (PDF) from the Caledon Institute of Social Policy concluded that the $1200/year would inflate the income of poor families and trigger clawbacks of other income-based benefits, leaving them not much better, or even worse, off than they were before.
The greatest benefit of the CPC "child care plan", the report concluded, goes to one-income families with above average incomes. Says the report:
The Conservatives’ plan for a “Choice in Child Care Allowance” is seriously flawed. Because the new program will trigger reductions in federal and provincial/territorial income-tested benefits and increases in income taxes, most families will end up with less – for modest-income families in the $30,000-$40,000 range, much less - than the gross $1,200 annual payment for every child under 6. The Child Care Allowance also will favour one-earner couples over single parents and two-earner families. The proposed scheme is really a child benefit, not a child care program. Caledon contends that it would be better to invest in further increases to the existing Canada Child Tax Benefit, a modern and effective social program that suffers from none of the failings of the proposed Choice in Child Care Allowance
George W. Bush played the same game in 2000 by continually saying low income Americans would "by far" be the greatest beneficiaries of his tax plan, when in fact the opposite was true. I'd encourage anyone interested to read a great book by Al Franken, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. The Canadian Right is playing the same games as their American mentors.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Experts agree Conservative tax plan favours the rich
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6 comments:
NDIP,
Have you even read Franken's book, or are you just parroting Bill O'Lielly's talking points?
And you're LIEing about the Liberal tax plan. Remember the economic update tabled before the House of Commons Finance committee? Remember the debate in the HoC? I also seem to recall the Conservatives voting in the house to pass the Liberal cuts. MORE CONSERVATIVE LIES!
Nice try ex-ndip. Better luck next time.
Actually, BCer, I also recall the vote on the Ways and Means Motion to pass the latest Liberal tax income cut. Three parties supported it -- the Grits, the Socialists and the Blockheads. The Reform Party voted against it.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/38/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/156_2005-11-23/han156_1615-E.htm
The real lie was the fact the Reform Party voted at their last party conference to maintain the GST where it was and to accelerate income tax cuts.
What changed between then and the minibudget I don't know, but the slim chance there was they were going to get my vote evaporated once Harper made clear he was increasing income taxes to compensate for the cut in the GST.
I'm literally counting the days -- not years, months or weeks, but days -- until we go back into deficit; and then right after that we'll be sending troops to Iraq. Just like our neighbours to the south.
For what it's worth, I'm no big fan of Al Franken either. Way too left wing even for me.
Fair enough blast furnance, thanks. I knew it was one of those ways and means motions just before the hose went down.
As for Franken he is a lefty and I don't care for his radio show at all, but the Lying Liars book is a really interesting look at, well, the Right in the US is continually lying and bullying.
ex-ndip, you really need to loose the tinfoil hat man. Hey, after Monday the black helicopters will probably be working for your guy, so relax a little.
It takes Revenue Canada a year to print and put together tax return packages. When the tax changes were passed in November, 5.5 million packages had already been sent out. So a one-page revison is being sent-out to those people.
Hardly unprecedented, and hardly done in secret. Of course, next year there will need to be new forms again because as blastfurnace noted Harper is going to cancel some of the tax cuts. Thanks Stephen!
Yahoo from Calgary! I cannot wait for the Auditor General to get access to those Canada Post, Canadian Mint, HRDC, and the 9 billion dollar trust fund books that have been off limits for her.
It is my feeling, that there is a ton more scandals just waiting for us to learn about. yahoo!
What's the point of being in power if you can't sick the police on your enemies, right Chris? Classy.
But seriously (which is more than your post deserves)the AG did conclude in fact there WAS NO billion dollar boondogle at HRDC, and I have no idea what this trust fund is.
I think the next boondoggle to watch will be how much taxpayer $ the Connies blow trying, and failing, to dig up dirt on their political opponents instead of governing the country. Fire up those calculators now!
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