Wednesday, December 20, 2006
SBP's theory of taxes
Everyone wants their tax cuts. Who likes to pay tax? When we look at our pay stub, sometimes we cringe at the amount taken off to pay the government.
But, perhaps naively, I don't mind paying taxes.
If Stephen Harper decides to he wants to add another $100 to my take home pay every paycheque, hey, I won't stop him! At the same time, if he did do that, what consequences would it mean for the country?
My paycheque alone won't make much difference, but if that same tax cut was made for every Canadian and it meant less doctors and underfunded schools, I don't want it. I firmly believe there is a tie-in to the amount of tax businesses & individuals pay and the social safety net we live in.
Public schools and public hospitals in the USA have the reputation of being some of the worst institutions to go to. No one says in my city, "Don't go to such-and-such hospital because it's terrible". Generally speaking, all the hospitals are well-run and have good people on staff to take care of you if you need service. It's not perfect, but it's reliable. We have a publically funded system that allocates a good portion of our taxes to ensure we have access to it. It isn't cheap, and the amount of tax we pay reflects that, but in the end I think it's worth it.
It seems those who want more tax cuts and private services are only those who can afford it. For them, they don't need to worry about getting turned down by their doctor if they need surgery or if they get seriously ill because they fell behind on their health insurance payments. What would happen to me if I needed to undergo a life-saving procedure and didn't have the dough to cover it? Because I don't have the cash, is it just that the hospital just let me die?! Absolutely not. Like that high-school student said in Bowling for Columbine, "Human rights...everyone has the right to live".
We quip day-to-day it sucks we pay 14% sales tax and a good chunk of our income gets taken off for the good people at the Canada Revenue Agency, but if that's the price to pay to ensure a strong social safety net, I'm willing to pay it.
But, perhaps naively, I don't mind paying taxes.
If Stephen Harper decides to he wants to add another $100 to my take home pay every paycheque, hey, I won't stop him! At the same time, if he did do that, what consequences would it mean for the country?
My paycheque alone won't make much difference, but if that same tax cut was made for every Canadian and it meant less doctors and underfunded schools, I don't want it. I firmly believe there is a tie-in to the amount of tax businesses & individuals pay and the social safety net we live in.
Public schools and public hospitals in the USA have the reputation of being some of the worst institutions to go to. No one says in my city, "Don't go to such-and-such hospital because it's terrible". Generally speaking, all the hospitals are well-run and have good people on staff to take care of you if you need service. It's not perfect, but it's reliable. We have a publically funded system that allocates a good portion of our taxes to ensure we have access to it. It isn't cheap, and the amount of tax we pay reflects that, but in the end I think it's worth it.
It seems those who want more tax cuts and private services are only those who can afford it. For them, they don't need to worry about getting turned down by their doctor if they need surgery or if they get seriously ill because they fell behind on their health insurance payments. What would happen to me if I needed to undergo a life-saving procedure and didn't have the dough to cover it? Because I don't have the cash, is it just that the hospital just let me die?! Absolutely not. Like that high-school student said in Bowling for Columbine, "Human rights...everyone has the right to live".
We quip day-to-day it sucks we pay 14% sales tax and a good chunk of our income gets taken off for the good people at the Canada Revenue Agency, but if that's the price to pay to ensure a strong social safety net, I'm willing to pay it.
# posted by SBP : 9:05 PM
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