Inequality status quo not an option
Inequality. Our problem is with the very rich — the 1 per cent. We motivate the rest with small raises in salary and rank. It works. Even in communist Russia they could motivate atomic scientists, architects and all with a salary scale that went only to 20 or so times basic. But once you are on the board, in the club, you sit around and award each other hundreds of times that which is necessary to motivate.
We have a graduated income tax. Escalate it to 100 per cent on the marginal dollar at some ridiculous level, say $20 million. Stop up all the loopholes. Every dollar of profit to be taxed as income in someone’s hands.
Then, eventually, institute a wealth tax to bring us all back closer to what we deserve. Hugh Jones, Toronto Re Toronto can’t just stand still, Editorial Oct. 1 The Toronto Community Foundation’s 2013 Vital Signs Report confirms our deep disappointment that “Toronto is increasingly divided between the rich and poor and too many of us are falling behind.” Not just Toronto is in peril here; so is the rest of the GTA. It is most disconcerting that so many of our well-educated young adults are floundering, many in low paid jobs that do not even permit them to think about moving out of their parents’ home. The clarion call for “leaders who have the vision to create the prosperous and livable city we all want, and the thinking to get us there” and for citizen engagement is a timely one. The status quo is clearly not an option. Should we, or can we, leave this important issue for just our municipal, provincial and federal politicians to solve? Or must we also seek the expertise of private enterprise and think-tanks to provide the leadership, direction and resources that are critical to the success of this key initiative? Yes, it is time for respectful and thoughtful discussion. Hopefully this will lead to building consensus among the key stakeholders on how we go about nation-building, one brick at a time. Rudy Fernandes, Mississauga