NetNewsledger.com

THUNDER BAY - You didn't get a chance to vote for it. It was not a campaign issue in the last federal election, just over a year ago. It was not a campaign issue just over two years ago during the provincial election.

You won't get a chance to make your voice heard in public meetings - Dalton McGuinty has refused.

You will however, no matter what, it appears, get to pay for it.

It is the harmonized sales tax that is streaming into law in both Ottawa, and in Queen's Park.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says it is worth it. Our sunshine and smiles Premier says that this tax will take thousands of people off the tax rolls.

Dalton McGuinty's harmonized sales tax sounds incredible - if all you do is listen to Premier McGuinty.

Its when you dig in a little that you start to see that the real goal of this tax is helping to pay down the looming debt that Ontario is building up. The goal, despite Dalton's promises of sunshine and cookies for all is increased taxes.

Dalton McGuinty has said so. The goal of the HST is to increase the province's bottom line according to Dalton McGuinty. In other words it is to raise revenues.

Heck, it is a tax, and the sole purpose of a tax is to raise revenue.

The claims of 600,000 new jobs are in contrast to the Premier's own words. In September 2007, when the Premier was under fire for having seen 175,000 jobs vanish in Ontario during his first term he stated that "for every job lost we have created four".

So lets do a little Dalton math shall we?

If in four years, Dalton created 175,000 jobs a year, his claim that his HST will create 600,000 jobs over ten years means that Ontario will be short 125,000 jobs a year under his plan.

Perhaps Dalton's real problem is that he can't sell his plan by going to the people? His other problem is likely that the Premier doesn't understand that the Internet keeps his words alive long after the old-fashioned newspaper would have been re-cycled.

The claims that this HST will save money for the poor is a claim that when you dig in a little deeper doesn't work either. Those in Ontario living in poverty have to spend almost all of what they have each month just to get by. Bluntly, they are often not paying provincial income tax, because they don't earn enough.

But they will pay the HST each and every day on many items they need. That will take money out of their pockets each and every day.

The simple fact that the Premier and the Liberal caucus doesn't seem capable of understanding is that sending out rebate cheques once in a while isn't going to work to make the world better for those who are already strugglng.

Perhaps a solution would be to have the Liberal MPPs who are so supportive of this tax try living for six months on what they figure a welfare family can survive on?

It was only three Christmas seasons ago that Dalton McGuinty kept the lights on at Queen's Park to ram through a pay hike for MPPs. Now he is set to keep the Legislature going to ram through a tax hike on the rest of us.

One specific area that Dalton McGuinty seems oblivious to is that Ontario Aboriginal population, which does not pay the Ontario Retail Sales Tax will now be paying the HST. All it takes is a quick read of many of the treatys that are constitutionally binding on the Ontario, and Canadian Governments is to see that the lack of consultation is a huge problem.

What McGuinty, and frankly aided by the federal Conservatives are doing is setting up confrontations with Aboriginal people in Ontario. All of this coming after the Prime Minister made a heartfelt apology over the residential schools, and after Dalton McGuinty promised to listen make the situation especially bad.

The reality is that politicians like Dalton McGuinty likely figure that voters won't remember what they did in between elections.

The fact is that often it seems like voters do have short memories, and often, politicians can become used to those voting patterns. The problem is that you end up with political arrogance, and that leads to situations where those in power forget that it is by the will of the people that they are leading.

My view is pretty simple, if this tax were really as good as Dalton McGuinty is telling the opposition during Question Period, he would be more than willing to hold public meetings. He wouldn't be claiming that there has been enough talk around the water coolers and over coffee shop tables.

Instead, all that Dalton is doing is shoving his HST through in what is arguably a very undemocratic manner.

What one can hope is that voters will remember come next election. That is the very thing that Premier McGuinty is counting on you not doing.

Will you?

James Murray

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed