LEADER POST
Dear Editor:
Resorting to typical neo-conservative tactics, David Anderson's August 5th letter about the Harper government's tax policy is full of personal insults and invective. But cutting through all that abuse, his tax arguments stand exposed as totally vacuous.
Mr. Anderson simply recited the pre-canned "Talking Points" about the 2006 budget as pumped out by the Prime Minister's Office. No hard facts – just rhetoric! But just repeating a falsehood, no matter how many times or how loudly, does not make it true.
Each of Mr. Anderson's "points" has been thoroughly contradicted by every credible independent economist in the country – including Dale Orr of the well-known Global Insight group of Analysts. Mr. Orr used to be cited by every Conservative as the best expert in the land. He can be found at www.globalinsight.com.
- In May, in a detailed publication entitled "Budget 2006: Real Tax Relief Much Less Than Advertised", Mr. Orr strips away the Conservative spin and goes straight to the facts. He concludes that:
- Budget 2006 actually raises your taxes – especially personal income taxes;
- The amount of real tax relief in this budget is less than half what was claimed;
- About 200,000 of the lowest income Canadians have been pushed back onto the tax rolls; and
- The Conservatives have mis-stated their "tax-cut–to–new spending" ratio by almost 100 percent.
No matter how often Mr. Anderson repeats the opposite, he is simply wrong!
- Mr. Orr is independently supported:
- By tax accountants who report 2005 to be one of the best years ever for personal tax refunds – thanks to the Liberal tax reductions that were fully in place for that year but which the Conservatives have since cancelled;
- By private sector payroll managers who had to calculate the Conservative tax hikes in July and begin deducting them from every paycheque; and
- By taxpayers like pensioners who have noticed that their net disposable incomes are now lower due to higher Conservative taxes beginning in July.
As the former Finance Minister, yes, I am proud to have left to my successor the strongest economy, the best fiscal situation, the biggest amount of financial flexibility, and the cleanest set of books in Canadian history.
Given that inheritance, it was easy for the Conservatives to balance the books in 2006. But take note – before that, the last Conservative balanced budget was back in 1912!
Yours sincerely,
Ralph Goodale, M.P. (Wascana)
(306) 585-2202
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