"Don't you know that income taxes are illegal " "Does the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) know that the provincial government is repainting the houses of blind children more often than necessary "

Every day at the Federation, directors receive e-mails, calls, and letters from the general public. Since the Federation exists only on membership dues and thus has only a small staff, those of us employed at CTF offices across Canada do our best to plow through it all and sort the good from the bad, and the useful from the wacky. Often, we receive excellent tips about government waste and/or unfair taxation practices.

At other points though, the morning mail leads to a severe shaking of the head. For fun, I keep track of much of it, in part so readers can take a mental break from taxes, spending, and the philosophical and political consequences of it all. Looking over last year's mail, here are some samples, as well as one noteworthy media interview worth mentioning.

Most unbelievable call of the year: Someone phoned our Victoria office and asserted he had a "scoop." The caller recited a tale of how blind children, who, during the week, attend a school away from home, were having their government-owned residences repainted more often than allowed under government policy. On questioning, the caller claimed to be a contractor who "knew" about such things. My first impulse was to tell him I didn't care if the government repainted the houses of blind children every week if that made their life more bearable. But as is standard with such "tipsters", I asked him to send proof via the fax or the mail. Given that no such information ever came, that call gets listed under both the "unbelievable" and the "twisted caller" category. And, for the record, even if it were true, governments should feel free to repaint the houses of blind children every week if that makes their lives more bearable.

Most shoddy media interview: No question about it. The award goes to Bob Simon from CBS' 60 Minutes, who interviewed Richard Truscott (our Saskatchewan director) about native issues. The CTF has been very critical of current Aboriginal policy in Canada, including the lack of accountability on reserves for tax dollars spent. Many times, our articles on such matters are a result of Native Canadians who contact us about such abuses. Nevertheless, being critical of current native policy is sometimes confused with being anti-Native, which is an incorrect assumption. Bob Simon grilled our Saskatchewan spokesman and tried to bait him into making racist remarks, and failed. Richard stuck the to the real issues of governance, property rights, and accountability. That was too deep for a New York reporter in search of a stereotypical racist prairie hick. Despite three hours worth of an interview with Truscott, 60 Minutes never aired any of our Saskatchewan director's comments.

Most often-written question/statement: "Income tax is illegal." Some people - not at all wacky - inquire sincerely as to whether income taxes are in fact legal. Others (some wacky, some not, and some who are prone to conspiracies,) write to insist that based on the Lord Nelson decision, the Magna Carta, sections of the Canadian constitution, holy scripture, or mushrooms consumed on Gabriola Island, income tax is not legal or constitutional. Sorry Virginia, on this one, there ain't no Santa Claus. Income tax is legal and constitutional. And even if the Supreme Court were to make income tax illegal tomorrow, Parliament would enact a 35% GST to replace it. Invariably, when I point this out, the truly devoted income-tax-is-illegal proponents argue that the Canadian Taxpayers Federation - an organization that likes lower taxes - is part of a conspiracy of accountants, judges, and lawyers, to keep taxes high.