Higher Taxes

Effective January 1st 2012 working Canadians will be paying higher CPP and UI premiums. Personally I understand the need to raise these two particular sources of revenue. My only question is how will the middle and lower income workers put money away for "pooled pensions" if the government keeps taking money out of their pocket.


In my Canada life is beautiful. When I look around me I don't see bread lines or people begging for food.


Why? It's because we have social programs and food banks that help those who, for whatever reason, cannot find full time employment. Many are struggling with part time positions that pay minimum wage. Our government quietly increased the transfer dollars to the Provinces so that you and I would not see how seriously deprived many of our fellow citizens are.


The transfer dollars for social programs to the Provinces now exceeds 11 billion dollars for 2011. The infra-structure spending the government went through in 2008/9 DID NOT work. Lower taxes to corporations DOES NOT relate to more hiring. It can, however, relate to more layoffs as corporations purchase more efficient machinery requiring fewer operators. But that is progress.


Under the new rules coming into effect for 2012 seniors who start collecting their pension at 60 to 64 and continue to work will be required to pay CPP..... and that is how it should be.


It is also my understanding that .... For those between 65 and 69 the payment of CPP will be optional. My question is... how many employers will agree to pay their portion for an employee who is over 65?


I hate taxes as much as the next person but I still think this government made a big mistake when they dropped the GST from 7% to 5%. I have yet to meet someone who, after going through the cash, stopped and separated the monies they saved on the lower GST so that they could put it in their savings account. It was political BULL S#!T and you ate it up.


They would have been much better off to lower income tax.


Today's HST is a Point Of Purchase tax payable by all who buy goods regardless of their position in life. If the GST portion were raised to 6% they could lower income tax which relates to more spending and or saving dollars for the working class. The increased cost to a worker would be 10 dollars per 1000 dollars spent. We did't notice the savings so why would we notice the spending since we have more take home monies?


A Point Of Purchase or Flat Tax is the fairest tax of all.