Cut Taxes to Strengthen the Economy

NEWS ALERT: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will not table a budget in 2008. At a campaign-style event to draw attention to the Jan. 1 GST cut, Prime Minister Stephen Harper dashed hopes for additional tax relief. "We're not going to undertake any long-run spending or tax-reduction initiatives unless we feel they are affordable," he said. Budget reporters zeroed in on the dark economic clouds south of the border and concluded tax relief and spending initiatives are off the government's agenda. Mr. Flaherty it seems can rest easy, his services are not needed. Read more »

New Year's Resolutions

During the holiday season, all sorts of resolutions are made for the upcoming year. Some resolve to join a gym while others pledge to give up any number of vices. But what about our politicians Shouldn't they also be striving for better in 2008 In the spirit of the Christmas season, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation offers up some New Year's resolutions for select lawmakers: 1. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: Read more »

Canada's Teepee Republic

Who Pays and who gets to keep the money Tsawwassen to its own members on taxes Read more »

Parliamentarians fiddle while RCMP burns

The tragic killing of Robert Dziekanski on Oct. 14 at the hands of four RCMP officers in Vancouver's airport has upset many Canadians. It was a shameful display of police brutality and a clear message that Ottawa does not have a firm grip on its own police force. So why isn't it the lead topic in the House of Commons The governing Conservatives seem unwilling to openly probe an agency they are now responsible for, preferring instead to manage the problem. More disappointing is that Question Period is dominated by the Liberals single-minded obsession with the Mulroney-Schreiber affair. Read more »

Budget Update: A Good First Act

Kudos to Jim Flaherty for delivering a package of sweeping broad-based tax cuts. It wasn't perfect, of course, and the finance minister has more work ahead of him. His chief task in the New Year is to lessen the income tax load paid by individuals and families. Still, the Conservatives took a big step forward by returning surplus dollars to Canadian taxpayers and reducing Ottawa's tax bite. Read more »

Shopping for lower taxes and less government regulation

Letter to the Hon. Jim FlahertyThere was a time, not very long ago, when finance ministers were known for challenging wooly economic thinking to improve the economic wellbeing of Canadians. Paul Martin successfully battled the deficit by rallying Canadians to support the Liberal government's cost cutting measures. Read more »

Time to Fish or Cut Bait on Tax Relief

In Opposition, Conservative lawmakers regularly lampooned the old Liberal government for running massive surpluses while spending recklessly and refusing to lower taxes. Today, the Tories manage the treasury and yet fat surpluses continue to pile up, spending is growing and meaningful broad-based tax relief has taken a backseat to boutique tax cuts. If the Harper government will not reduce taxes now - when the economy is strong and Ottawa has an embarrassment of riches - will it ever Read more »

Canadian Chamber joins Save-the-GST Club

One of the surprising outcomes of the Canadian dollar reaching parity with the U.S. greenback is a renewed attack on reducing the GST a second point. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce last month called on the Conservative government to break its election promise to cut the GST to 5% and instead lower business taxes. The normally somber chamber of commerce has joined the "Save the GST Club." Read more »

Proroguing Parliament is the Right Thing to do

Stephen Harper informed Canadians earlier this month that he will ask the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament and begin a new session on Oct. 16 with a speech from the throne. Parliament was originally set to continue business as usual this week. Instead, when MPs return to Ottawa in a month, outstanding legislation (except private member's bills) will die on the order paper and need to be re-introduced. Because the throne speech is subject to a confidence vote, there is a risk of triggering a federal election. Read more »

B.C. Liberals' Waste of Energy

Self-sufficiency is an old fashioned, discredited idea usually championed by advocates of protectionist governments meddling in economic affairs. It is failed public policy because it relies on high tariff barriers to stifle trade and layers of bureaucratic planning. Yet the British Columbia Liberal government insists the path to a clean environment is for the province to become self sufficient in its energy needs. Read more »