Canadians must truly love being taxed. How else do you explain our collective silence every time our government contemplates a new tax on some commodity.
The latest product being considered is “sugary” soft drinks. Everyone knows they are bad for us, so let’s levy a tax on them. The smokescreen the government puts up is that such a tax would discourage people from buying the products and everyone will be healthier and happier as a result. However, history has shown that after such a tax is levied, there is only a short-term reduction in product consumption and then sales rebound back to the previous levels. The governments know this, of course, so their challenge is finding those commodities to tax that will be least objectionable to the general public.
Now, I don’t mind paying reasonable amounts in taxes because I understand the various levels of government need money to operate (although balanced budgets don’t seem to matter anymore). What irritates me is being told that a particular tax is necessary to influence public behavior when, in reality, it has nothing to do with changing behavior and everything to do with generating more revenue for government coffers. When a government introduces a new tax, it virtually never goes away, and it is always the consumer who pays these taxes in the end. We just need to look at the carbon tax as proof of that. The oil and gas companies are not paying these taxes. It is the motorist at the fuel pump, the consumer at the grocery store or the family paying their home heating bills.
I’m tired of paying another new tax every time I want to buy something. Perhaps our governments should look for ways to reduce spending instead of dreaming up the next new tax grab.
Fred Engels