‘Fair’ tax plan rife with flaws

The government’s tax proposals are being hyped as fairness, when in reality they are shortsighted and rife with flaws. Flaws in logic, treating “small businesses” as homogeneous entities; flaws in fairness, attacking the livelihood of many very small enterprises that support a few employees and the families that own them.

In reality, many small businesses are not huge cash grabs: They represent the sweat and hard work of dedicated people, and they are mostly hand-tomouth operations.

My son owns such a small business. He has eight employees and makes enough to provide a reasonable middle-class life for his family. Within the current tax system he has also started to put some money aside for retirement. He is certainly not filthy rich.

If the proposed tax system comes into force, he will have no means to save for retirement, he will have no CPP. Thanks to the government, he will not be looking forward to his retirement years. He may also be forced to close the business, putting eight people on EI.

Let’s be realistic, all of these proposals are forecast to increase revenue by some $200 to $250 million, not a vast sum given the deficit that is forecast.

All in all, a promise of Sunny Ways and Middle Class Fairness have pretty much been chucked out the window. Peter Lantos, Orléans