Monday, June 27, 2005

Something to keep in mind on 'Tax Freedom Day'

Linda McQuaig has really nailed it.

The Fraser Institute's so-called 'Tax Freedom Day' is a less than honest accounting of how much tax we pay.

Some highlights:

"The institute's own numbers show that, for low-income earners, Tax Freedom Day would arrive in late February; for the huge group of those who straddle the middle range of incomes, Tax Freedom Day would arrive by mid-April."

and

"Failing to mention the extra government benefits we now receive is like complaining the family's Loblaw's bill is 40 per cent higher, without acknowledging the family now gets a lot more groceries on each shopping trip."

I'm sure that 'Tax Freedom Day' is going to be one of the CPC's attack points now that the NDP budget has passed. Monte Solberg has already started the propaganda (with nice responses here and here) . So feel free to inform our conservative friends and supporters of these facts when they bring them up.

Now why would I take Linda McQuaig's opinion over that of the Fraser Institute? She just a Left-Wing shill, right? How about her co-author:

Neil Brooks teaches tax law and policy at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Mr. Brooks might know a thing or two about tax law and policy in Canada. And, as a tenured professor at one of the best Law Schools in the country, I doubt he'd put his name to anything that he, or Osgoode Hall, was not willing to stand by.

In reality most of us missed 'Tax Freedom Day' - it was in April. Incidently, 'Corporate Tax Freedom Day' is in late January. Something else to keep in mind when people talk about the need for corporate tax breaks.

10 Comments:

At 4:19 PM, Blogger AJSomerset said...

I was going to post something challenging "Tax Freedom Day," but I won't bother now.

I knew something was wrong when I compared the Fraser Institute's numbers to my actual tax bill, and then tried to figure out where all that extra money was ... there is no way that an honest accounting would double my tax bill.

 
At 4:25 PM, Blogger Mike said...

Yeah, I always thought the same thing....I've even heard they were using "Gambling losses" one year, because they considered it a "voluntary tax"....

 
At 5:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least in the past, the Fraser institute, aka the fudge it institute, has included gambling revenues as a tax. I have heard of a volutary tax but this is just plain silly.

 
At 5:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Linda McQuaig shakes when she speaks.

 
At 11:13 AM, Blogger ALW said...

Anything about Linda McQuaig I can have fun with. I'll post on this later today.

 
At 2:28 PM, Blogger Mike said...

ALW,

Go right ahead, man. But remember Prof. Neil Brooks and the facts she presents, nut just Linda McQuaig.

 
At 7:22 AM, Blogger ALW said...

I went through her column and realized I'd just be arguing about philosophical differences ("what is freedom, anyway?"...

But I did want to say that this professor - as a quick google hit will show - is a partisan New Democrat who was commissioned by Bob Rae to study "fair taxation", among other things. He is, in other words, less of an independent voice than the Fraser Institute is.

Besides, as any law student knows - Osgoode (which is at York for those who don't know) is a bastion of leftist sentiment ;)

 
At 8:52 AM, Blogger Mike said...

Oh, I wouldn't use independant and the Fraser Institute in the same sentence ;).

Point taken. I will say though, that no matter what his political stripe, he does know the law and policy in this area. Also, I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Osgoode a bastion of leftist sentiment? I guess I would define 'leftist' differntly than someone who goes to the University of Western Ontario ;) (I always considered Osgoode middle of the road while Queens and Western were the really conservative schools)

Thanks for you input ALW. Always welcome.

 
At 12:50 PM, Blogger ALW said...

Anytime. I tried to find the numbers, though and I couldn't find them anywhere - not in the FI numbers themselves or elsewhere. Can anyone point me to them?

 
At 2:22 PM, Blogger Mike said...

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1119995414139&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

Try looking at this as well ALW. I'm looking for the numbers but my link is busted above .... I 'll let you know when I find them.

Perhaps on the Centre for Policy Alternatives website?

 

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