Saturday, June 13, 2009

Harper’s credibility is getting tattered. You heard it here first.


Steven Chase writes in today’s Globe

“Tom Flanagan also warns that Mr. Harper's credibility is “getting tattered” after a string of reversals on policies – from income trusts to fixed election dates to equalization, creating a “widespread impression that [he] stands for nothing in particular, except winning and keeping power” in Ottawa.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself, except however to point out that Harper’s tax leakage argument is a total fraud, cooked up my Mark Carney and Jim Flaherty as the false basis on which to rationalize the income trust policy reversal/betrayal. Did breaking the fixed election date promise or breaking the equalization promise destroy $35 billion of retirement savings or destroy people’s quality of living and dignity during retirement? Didn’t think so, which is why the income trust issue will never go away until the policy reflects the truth that income trusts do not cause tax leakage and have enormous benefits to confer upon Canada and for the betterment of all Canadians. (If you think otherwise, then your understanding of income trusts and their far reaching policy ramifications is superficial at best).

2 comments:

Dr Mike said...

This past week , all parties in the HoC agreed that something must be done to enhance income for seniors & those retired.

The unfortunate thing is that short-sightedness once again prevailed as they continued to only look at enhancing CPP , Old Age Security & Supplements.

What about all those others out there who have the ability to enhance their own income levels by investing in the Canadian business world & sharing in the profits.

Income trusts were ideal as they paid-out at sufficient yields to make the risk worthwhile , whereas corporate dividends were miniscule at best & therefore forced investors to make the choice that allowed trusts to become so popular (unfortunately , it was for this same reason these same corps put the call into Flaherty to stun the trust world & level the playing field in their favor).

Retirees had found a way to raise their income levels with no help from the gov`t.

Now , however , the gov`t interference in the trust market has left these same investors more reliant on the gov`t for the same services they were once paying for themselves.

Either the politicians want to help us or not.

The best thing they can do most of the time is leave us alone & let market forces work themselves out with time.

Dr Mike Popovich

Kephalos said...

Major political personna can be summarized in one word: Diefenbaker 'rebel', Pearson 'once a upon a real Canadian', Trudeau 'smarmy', Clark 'klutzy', Turner 'mano mano', Mulroney 'filthy rich', Campbell 'screwed', Chretien 'wily', Martin 'hickery-dickery'.

So what about Harper? 'Tatters'? Nah... Maybe 'ta-ta'? Nah... There's this: Canada has never been so weird. So that's the word.

There also a word in there for Canada. If we have Harper much longer, Canada is a 'has been'.