The federal budget released by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty yesterday continues down the same road of tax giveaways to the wealthy. This is in spite of no evidence that the continuing reduction in corporate taxes has done anything to spur investment or create jobs. Interesting to see this coverage from Newfoundland where they apparently get it.
The same is true of course at the provincial level where 10 years of corporate tax reductions have done nothing for ordinary families in BC. The Liberal government brags about cutting corporate tax rates by 33 percent since 2001. Just think what the hundreds of millions of lost revenue would have done to support public services.
Trimming fat, or cutting to the bone?
Stephen Harper claims he can eliminate the federal deficit by “trimming fat” in the public sector. This is the same mantra we heard from the BC Liberal’s for over ten years – and is just as out of touch with reality.
What we have seen over the years both provincially and federally is cuts to vital programs that serve us well. The gutting of essential services like food inspection and environmental monitoring are not just inconveniences – they have cost lives. And, they damage people’s confidence in government as well as the marketplace.
The list is far too long to even begin but I have to mention the elimination of federal support for low income housing by the Chretien/Martin Liberals and continued under the Conservatives. That is the largest single cause of the homelessness tragedy in cities right across this country – and especially in BC.
Restoring even a fraction of the tax cuts received by big business and the wealthy would do far more to balance the books than a futile search for alleged “waste” in government that might net us pennies a year per taxpayer. Stephen Harper and Christie Clark know this – that is why their refusal to consider fair taxes really means even more cutbacks down the road that only hurt working families and the most vulnerable in our society.