If you believe our Con media you might think that the entire country was rising up to fight the Liberal government's plan to make our tax system fairer.
If you believe Andrew Scheer, you might think that millions of middle class Canadians are as mad as hell at Justin Trudeau for calling them tax cheats.
Even if he didn't.
If you believe Pierre Poilievre, you might think that Canada is in a state of rebellion.
https://t.co/oWIRCpe0V4— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 21, 2017
Rebellion brewing in N.B. against Prime Minister Trudeau’s proposed tax changes
And sure enough, here's an anti-tax protest in Saskatoon...
Brought to you by the people who believe that taxes equal death, not medicare.
But it's no mass rebellion, and most of the sound, and the fury, or the hot air, is not coming from the middle class.
It's coming from the Con porkers of corporate Canada...
For whom greed is a virtue.
Or in the case of John Manley, coming from the big fish.
A business owner has informed John Manley, the head of an organization representing Canada's largest corporations, that he has moved billions of dollars outside the country since the Liberals formally proposed their tax changes in mid-July.
The greedy grubbers of the One Percent, who would have us believe that if they have to pay more taxes they'll leave the country. And we'll be reduced to eating grass, or gnawing on branches.
Instead of like myself, celebrating their departure.
And of course when you see the Con tool Andrew "Silver Spoon" Coyne tweet something like this...
You know that this "rebellion" is fake news. You know that Justin Trudeau must be doing something right.
And that as even the Con fluffer John Ivison is forced to admit, Scheer's phony tax revolt is doomed to fail.
The Liberals are intent on changing the rules that allow small-business owners to defer taxation by using private corporations to make passive investments. The Conservatives have leapt on the issue, suggesting all small businesses will be hit including mom-and-pop firms and farmers.
But, as will become clear when the government releases its refined proposal later this fall, very few individuals in these categories will be affected. Of the 1.8 million private corporations used to save on personal income taxes, just 36,000 hold 80 per cent of the taxable income. The numbers suggest a massive concentration of wealth in just 2 per cent of these vehicles.
Sooner or later Scheer will be exposed as a liar, a film flam man, and a Con artist...
When more details emerge on the income bracket occupied by those who are sheltering their money from the Liberal tax storm, it will be hard for the Conservatives to paint them as victims.
Or maybe, if we're lucky, he'll be remembered as the hapless Con clown who fell face first into a Liberal trap.
Indeed, when it becomes clear that conscientious mechanics and sons of agricultural toil are exempt from the changes, the opposition may well regret having expended so much political capital on the issue.
That is the calculation the Liberals are making.
They may even be drawing the Conservatives into a trap, where the opposition is forced to defend “small business owners” even after it becomes clear those affected are high net-worth individuals.
A clanking, wanking, dead man walking..
But then it seems most Canadians already know that, at least judging by this latest poll of polls.
The Liberals have come under fire for their proposed changes to the tax system from the opposition, small business owners, doctors and even members of their own caucus. But it's had no impact on their standing in the polls. Instead, the Liberals are more popular today than they were on election day almost two years ago.
The Conservatives under Andrew Scheer have 30.9 per cent, down about one point since the election, while the New Democrats have slipped four points to 15.8 per cent.
When Canadians realize how the Cons tried to con them, Trudeau's numbers can only grow.
And when his phony tax campaign blows up in his face.
Andrew Scheer won't know what hit him...
Canadians hate Con cheaters, or would be Republicans.
And we are going to destroy them....
Yes! We need to fight back against this narrative that taxes are evil and bad. We should always make sure our tax money is spent properly and not funnelled into wasteful kleptocracy and tax breaks for the wealthy, but we need taxes in order to fund our social safety net and to make sure we all don't die in filth and squalor with no health care or no pensions.
ReplyDeleteI used to look at this issue with a good dose of fatalism, the rich will always get the breaks because they control everything, but this argument has awakened me and I'm ready to fight. Could this be a test run to go after the real cheats at the very top? Stay tuned...
At least you're in a sensible country like Canada and have a reason to see sunny ways at the end of the tunnel. Americans -- those of us who care, anyway -- look at this issue with an almost suicidal degree of fatalism. We've lived under the Mammonist theocracy of Reaganology for almost 40 years and it shows no signs of abating anytime soon. In fact, for us it's only getting worse. We have a "businessman" in office who thinks gold-plated toilets for himself are more important than healthcare for desperate people. Fox Noise and now Fakebook propaganda, on top of 50+ years of Cold War paranoia demonizing taxes as a stepping stone to Soviet-style gulags, has poisoned the public mindset to a point where they dare not advocate for anything that sounds like fairness for workers or "redistributing the wealth" -- lest they become shunned lepers tagged with the scarlet red stigma of "socialists." St. Bonzo once recorded a spoken-word "gospel" album warning Americans of the evils of "socialized" medicine. The Powell Memorandum written by one of Nixon's SCOTUS picks as a backlash against, of all people, Ralph Nader, is another infallible dogma given more credence than the Constitution itself. Mister Rogers once said to look for the helpers. (The helpers, in this case, would be taxpayers.) Fox News actually gave him a searing eulogy after he died, calling him evil and a tool of the left who used PBS to brainwash children into Marxism. Guess whose ideology won out in the end. Not Mister Rogers. Rupert Moloch.
DeleteAmerican exceptionalism is a destructive cult. Canada's humility, at least, works in its favor. Every so often you get a Harper who exploits divisions in order to grab power by any means possible and curry favor with wealthy cheats and moneylenders. But by and large, Canadians are sickened by the Harper mentality because of how, well, American it is.
It's a good thing Justin's not the President. A blasphemous heresy, like closing tax loopholes that allow billionaires to stash their filthy lucre far out of reach of the government where it could be used to help people, would land him in the haunted hall of fame with Jack Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln. Be glad you have a Galileo at the helm, who's trying to demonstrate that the universe doesn't revolve around the whims and wishes of the 1%, no matter what the high priests of the coffers of the holy profits think. Us? Well... let's just say our guy is Uranus in retrograde...
It is grim in America, but I still think you guys made a lot of progress under Obama. Progress that would have continued under Clinton had it not been for 77,000 dotards in the rust belt who based their votes on memes. There is a big fight to be won, but remember that going forward you have demographics on your side. This is the last dying gasp of the mediocre white male affirmative action society. Mueller will handle removing the cancer, but you guys must work hard for years lest it come roaring back.
Deletehi anon 10:25... trying to convince people that taxes are necessary and good, isn't easy in a country and a world corrupted by greed. Especially since the right-wing conspiracy spends billions trying to persuade the dumb and the ignorant that taxes are bad. But if we want to live in a decent civilized country we have no choice but to stand up for what is right. I'm disgusted by the way the Cons are twisting the truth, but if it leads to a serious discussion about taxes, it will be worth it...
Deletehi anon 6:10...I realize that you and other decent Americans are living in a nightmare, and that it's not easy to be confident about the future. And I'm very sorry for all the ghastly things you must endure. But at the risk of sounding like a callous twit, I think that the horror of the situation is what should make you confident that things can only get better. It might not be obvious right now, but I believe that the more atrocities the Trump regime commits, the more the desire for real change will grow. You know what they say, it's always darkest before the dawn. So don't give up dear neighbour, the light will return, better days are ahead. And Canadians and Americans will celebrate them together...
Deletehi anon 11:50...thank you for trying to cheer up our decent American neighbour. You're right, he did have a great black president, while we had the grubby Stephen Harper. And you're also right to point out that demographics are on his side. And that progressives in America must get their act together, and fight Trump and his fascist deplorables harder than ever...
DeleteGee Andrew, I remember one of your base telling a reporter on CBC no less just before the federal election that everyone cheats on their taxes. Have you forgotten about Earl Cowan of "Lying pieces of shit " fame? Didn't you talk to him this summer Andrew? What gives?
ReplyDeletemr perfect
Hi Mr Perfect...I had forgotten what that angry old Con actually said during his memorable fifteen minutes of fame. But now that you've reminded me, wouldn't it be great if our wretched corporate media would ask Cowan what he thinks of this latest Con scam. He might be crazy, but at least he's more honest than Scheer. And he might remind Canadians what this fuss is all about...
DeleteStop and think about it for a moment. Why are there so few "profitable" private corporations? Why do so many small businesses, including private corporations end in failure? (See this CBC article for some interesting statistics about small businesses circa 2011:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/news/business/10-surprising-stats-about-small-business-in-canada-1.1083238
Most are designed to fail. They suck up the tax advantages for the owners then they're discarded like crumpled candy wrappers.
Here's some MBA style advice:
1. Use other people's money
2. Use tax planning to take advantage of all legal costs, deferments, depreciation etc. Usually this means reducing net income as low as possible, even to the point of allowable losses.
3. Enjoy and move on.
You'll never hear the Cons complain about the poor performance of small business owners the way they complain about civil servants, like teachers. A 50% failure rate at 5 years really does deserve some serious study to determine why Canadians are falling behind in business. Maybe there should be some standardized testing... ;7) The fate of the nation depends on good business practice, right? Cons just want to throw money at the problem in the form of tax breaks. Tsk, tsk. Bunions less than comfy when the loafer's on the other foot, Dexter?
Nah, it is a scam. Or maybe guys like Scheer, who've never held a job outside politics, don't understand how business works. It seems an elementary school drama class should be able to understand this. Their teacher does.
P2p
hi P2p...thank you for that insight. I'd never really thought about it that way, even though in the place where I live small businesses spring up like mushrooms and die almost as quickly. It's something that bothers me a lot, because I'm always cheering for them to succeed, and I hate to see people's dreams crushed. But if so many fail even with the lowest tax rates in the G7 something is terribly wrong...
DeleteMore Sheer Nonsense!
ReplyDeletehi Kathleen...is it more sheer nonsense, or more shearling nonsense? With Scheer as the nasty goat, and his Cons and the media baaing like sheep...
DeleteAndrew Scheer should be known as Andrew Schmear. And to think he calls himself a Christian. Shame on him.
ReplyDeletehi anon...you know that's so good I may have to steal it from you ;) Hey Schmear come here you crook. But as for Schmear declaring himself to be a Christian, that's just fraud too...
DeleteAndrew Con, who says Trudeau and the union guy Dias are taking the Liberals to the left, he says it like it's a bad thing. Canada wouldn't have their sacrosanct healthcare program were it not for progressive social reformers like Tommy Douglas, working in concert with Pearson's Liberals. They wouldn't have Pierre's Just Society, welcoming of immigrants, and greater acceptance of LGBT and women's rights if it weren't for the Quiet Revolution in Québec. It's because of shared public contribution that Canada has a thriving social system, education system, culture and arts system, that is envied around the world.
ReplyDeleteAll of this has laid the groundwork for Justin, the second-generation Trudeau leader, to build on, and make Canada even greater while also undoing the regressive harm that Harper and his minions did for 10 years. If he's zigzagging to the left, then good for him. About time someone held the wealth hoarders accountable for pulling their ill-gotten gains out of the economy and depriving the government of revenue that they nee to provide for essential services like healthcare and infrastructure. Pay up or shut up.
But instead of being silent partners with the Grits to go against the wicked cons, the Dippers would rather play spoiler because they're still miffed that Angry Tom didn't get to shout his throne speech, just like the Sanderistas played spoiler to the Democrats on account of it not being St. Bernard at the top of the ticket. The cons are atrocious, just like the GOP, and everyone needs to recognize that -- it's not a winner-take-all game but one where, sometimes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the Supreme Court Justice, once said, "I like to pay taxes; with them, I buy a stake in civilization." Elementary, Justice Holmes. The logical conclusion is that the Republicans and Canada's Crappers simply aren't civilized. Even Jesus, as philosopher (whether one believes in the supernatural element or not), said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, that being a good citizen and being a Christian aren't incompatible. This is what Pope Francis is trying to promote (but is being held back by the old-guard bishops and demonized by the global far-right movement), and what Justin (who is also a Jesuit Catholic) clearly believes as well.
Scheer Idiot, meanwhile, worships at the altar of Mammon just like his grifter counterparts to the south. He's only a "Christian" when it comes to pulling the hate stuff out of the Old Testament so he can throw the book at gays, women, immigrants, etc. Same old con prostitutes, getting briefcases full of cash in shady no-tell motels.
hi anon 5:53...I wish you people would stop writing comments that are better than my posts !!#@!! Seriously though, nice comment and so true too. I much prefer a political party that tilts towards Jerry Dias than one that tilts towards Andrew Coyne, the son of a former Bank of Canada governor, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. And yes, what does the religious fanatic Scheer have to say about rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's? Has he forgotten what the Bible says, except for the bit about hating gays? Shame on him. And thank you for this quote:
DeleteOliver Wendell Holmes, the Supreme Court Justice, once said, "I like to pay taxes; with them, I buy a stake in civilization."
I'd never heard about it, but at least my instincts were right. If you want to live in a civilized society you do have to pay for it...
This Con scam is nothing but tax fraud. The so-called big fish are just trying to scare the little fish to protect themselves from paying more in taxes. The government needs to expose those crooks and go after them like the way condominium terrorists they are. If you don't pay your fair share of taxes you should be prosecuted or lose your Canadian citizenship.
ReplyDeletehi anon...I agree with every word you say. I wondered whether stripping tax cheats of their citizenship might be too harsh. But if these cheats don't want to pay for keeping up our house, why should they live in it?
DeleteThose crafty Liberals; propose small business tax reform and ask for input only to watch the Cons see red and tear around like a bull in a china shop until they discover what they saw was the reflection of tiny red maple leaf fluttering in the breeze outside the store window.
ReplyDeleteThe tax reform targets the high income 20% who significantly reduce taxes through the use of income sprinkling to low tax bracket non business personnel or use magic accounting to convert tax sheltered income to tax exempt capital gains. To sweeten the deal when the tax reform becomes law it is likely the remaining 80% of small business owners will receive an additional tax break through a lower Federal tax rate. The bulls are now crying foul ... whats not to like?
RT
hi RT...I like your image of the Cons charging around like bulls in a china shop, enraged by the sight of a tiny red leaf. However, when I see how the hysteria is still building, I fear for the Liberals and I fear for this country, now too greedy to help build a better future for everyone. I've always believed in that better future but now I'm not so sure...
DeleteWhy do Canadians love taxes? It buys them a civilized society. One in which we have health care, monthly payments to families with children to keep them out of poverty.
ReplyDeleteClosing these loop holes, its about time. These changes will not impact the "mom and pop" operations. there needs to be a real definition of "small business". if you're taking in several million a year and want to avoid taxes by distributing income amongst family members, you need to be paying your share of taxes in this country. Closing loop holes is a good thing.