Lower taxes mean a weaker society
Posted on December 20, 2010 in Inclusion Debates
Source: Victoria Times Colonist — Authors: Janice Leclerc
VictoriaTimesColonist – news/comment
Published: Sunday, December 19, 2010. Janice Leclerc, Times Colonist
“Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society,” said Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the long-serving American jurist noted for his concise and pithy opinions.
We are experiencing the truth of this statement. The reduction of taxes is not building British Columbia. Our children are being taught in overcrowded classrooms, schools are closing, post-secondary students have seen tuition fees more than double since the B.C. Liberals took office.
B.C. is the only province that does not have a needs-based grant program while student loan interest rates are the highest in the country.
Underfunding of trades and apprenticeship training has led to long waiting lists despite a shortage of skilled workers.
This is not the way to create a prosperous economy. Our future is imperilled as young people are not being prepared to take their place in our fast-moving world.
With the highest rate of child poverty, vulnerable children are not getting the nutrition and basic building blocks to allow them to develop to their full potential. We are not taking care of the people who need help.
The quality of care in our hospitals has declined with privatization of services and reduced staff levels.
Taxes are what enable governments to provide the services we all need. Businesses look for the stability of a society and the quality of its workforce as much as tax breaks.
We need to bring back the concept of wealth distribution through the income tax system if we are to have a healthy, happy society.
I want to return to a caring and equitable Canada.
Janice Leclerc, Parksville
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Tags: standard of living, tax
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