Narrow boutique tax cuts not the answer

Re: Harper announces tax relief, Aug. 24.

So, the Tories’ latest “boutique” tax cut is for “service club members.” I do some volunteer work for a non-governmental organization, which is not a service club. I do not want or expect a tax break for my work, nor do I believe that other volunteers, including service club members, should want or expect one.

Apart from the fact that this particular tax break is clearly an administrative nightmare, including being very open to cheating and abuse, it’s also obvious that this is Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s latest desperate attempt to buy this election at a micro level. It also fits with his ideological aim to further cripple federal revenues, so that his government can cry poor, and continue to degrade federal programs and services. This, however, flies in the face of Canada’s real needs, for example, better infrastructure, improved health care, better treatment of veterans, protection of the environment, re-equipment of our armed forces, improving our concrete presence in the Arctic (in the face of Russian expansionism), better food inspection, and so on.

Those voters who are tempted by endless, narrow boutique tax cuts should ask themselves if they want to see federal programs and services degraded any further, or whether they regard the federal government as an essential tool to serve important national needs. Geoff King, Ottawa