Canadians are finally starting to rethink tax cuts
By Bruce Campbell
April 8, 2010
Georgia Straight

Now that Canada is in the fiscal red, taxes appear to be coming back into fashion.

A surprisingly broad swath of Canadians—and not your usual suspects—are musing aloud about the need to raise taxes to tackle the deficit and to pay for the things we care most about, such as public health care.

Almost three out of five Canadian CEOs surveyed in March say higher taxes are needed to get the country back into the fiscal black.

Recently John Manley, former Liberal finance minister and now head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, said it’s time to raise the GST.

At the end of the recent Liberal party thinkfest, leader Michael Ignatieff showed that party is finally coming to grips with the reality of taxes. He said Canada can’t afford to rush ahead with any more corporate tax cuts.

For the first time in more than 15 years, Canadians are beginning to rethink the tax cut agenda that dwarfed all other public policy discussions.

It’s more out of sober necessity than anything. Tax cuts cost us more than we can afford….

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