How have we done so far?

With all those new taxes and fees introduced by the provincial Liberals when they came into power, how much in total new provincial revenues has been brought into the public coffers from each?

And the corollary of that question: how much did overall revenues from corporate and payroll taxes and HST decrease immediately after, but exclusive of, the introduction of these new taxes and fees? In other words, what was the net impact of all those new fees and taxes following the decimation of business activity?

Considering the fact that the previous level of fees and taxes were being paid from regular earnings out of more or less willing pockets, while the increased amounts are coming from much shallower pockets, from long-term savings, RRSPS, and increased levels of credit card and other personal debt, what — if anything — did we gain?

Is government prepared to share that information with us? To say outright how successful, or disastrous, their decisions were? That is not to say that something did not have to be done with government finances. The question was, and still is, when will government get it right?

It is sad when we become accustomed to asking questions of those in authority and receiving no answers; or, worse still, receiving the “weasel response” where you’re told how great things are, and why you never should have asked any questions in the first place.

That kind of response should cause alarm bells to go off for us all, except for the fact that nothing, not a damn thing, shocks us anymore. Politicians lied, community leaders failed to lead, our hard-earned tax dollars are being doled out to everyone but ourselves, societal wrongdoings are not addressed because of breakdowns and failures within our legal system, big pharma is the biggest drug pusher, and government decisions are made, not by government, but by big business.

So, Dwight, Tom et al, how about it? Give us a straightforward answer to the particular question raised, without any fluff and obfuscation.

Dave Randell Mount Pearl