Quebec Brigade Gets 100% off; Ontario Groops Get Partial Cut; Sailors Get Nothing
Will the Prime Minister note this? He probably did not intend dissension as the result, but that is what is happening. Will those who wish to form a government and who will work on a budget in future -- whatever their political stripe -- think about the implications of their gerrymandering of the distribution of tax dollars: of trying to be "fair", of trying to "reward" a particular group--for whatever reason--or to "right past wrongs".
There must be suggestions for change. Send them. I have thought of these, not the best, necessarily, but a start.
1. It is time for all citizens to be treated equally and I cannot think of anything more fair than a simple percentage of income as the government's share to use for the betterment of ALL Canadians, not for the ones they deem to be deserving or who belong to the governing party. I know there are arguments--good ones--against this having to do with the rich getting richer while the less favoured economically have so much larger an amount of their income grabbed by governments at all levels. Nevertheless, the alternative as it is now does not seem fair either. Let those with the capacity to make money make it; many of us are not jealous and would not invest our lives in the pursuit of great wealth.
2. Another idea might be a tax on consumption and no income tax at all. If your desire is to see those with wealth pay, this could be a solution. The poor, not having the money to consume as much, would pay less.
3. Get out of the business of money transfers from one area of the country to another -- from one have area to another have not area. Let those who generate wealth keep more of their own money and use it. It could be amazing what that might generate.
Quebec brigade gets 100% off; Ontario troops get partial cut; sailors get nothing
The federal government's limited tax break for soldiers on overseas missions came under fire yesterday from sailors in the Persian Gulf, military leaders in Bosnia and soldiers just back from Afghanistan.
The policy, announced in Tuesday's federal budget, is causing hard feelings within the military because many troops won't get the promised tax exemption on their pay while abroad.
The roughly 650 soldiers now in Bosnia are serving in an area not deemed dangerous enough to merit the tax break, and the policy also excludes the thousands of sailors and aircrew who participated in Operation Apollo, the Canadian contribution to the war on terrorism.
The crew of the frigate HMCS Toronto, now operating in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, does not qualify, even though American sailors in the U.S. Navy task force serving alongside them are exempt from paying taxes.
[. . . .] Because the tax-free status is retroactive to Jan. 1, the first Canadian troops who arrived in Afghanistan will also be largely left out.
[. . . . An anonymous] member of the Royal Canadian Regiment [ said ] "But I don't know why they gave the Vandoos [the regiment now in Kabul] six months tax free but not us. It's not like they're doing anything we didn't."
The Royal 22eme Regiment, one of the army's designated francophone units, has long been suspected by the rest of the army of receiving preferential treatment from Canadian Forces headquarters.
[. . . .] Australia however, does give its soldiers, sailors and airmen a tax holiday while they are deployed on missions such as the war in Iraq.
