Defining equity
Re: Morneau fights back against tax change ‘ misinformation,’ Sept. 14 The aim of the Liberals’ taxation policy is said to be helping the middle class. The word equity is bandied about to justify it. Isn’t it time we had a broader public debate about what equity means?
When socialists began to make an impact on society their goal was equality of opportunity. They believed, quite justifiably, that the European class system denied opportunity to the underprivileged. Today the goal espoused by the left, including the media, is equality of outcome. Is that equitable?
When my family and I moved to Calgary in 1979 we often heard that the difference between Ontario and Alberta was that in Ontario, if you worked hard, invested your earnings and made money you were expected to feel guilty about it; in Alberta if you worked hard, invested your earnings and made money people wanted to know how you did it so they could do it, too. Which is the healthier attitude?
The debate about tax policy is partly about revenue generation and partly about redistribution. Redistribution rewards certain types of behaviour. Do we want to encourage people to be ambitious and work hard to become financially successful and independent or do we want to encourage them to become passive, dependent and miserable? Equality of outcome does not send a constructive message.