Tax Freedom Day

[Treebeard]

The gentlemen who penned that piece is a Mr. Neil Brooks. A little googling confirms thats Mr. Brooks is a contributor to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). It would also appear that the CCPA is left wing organization, largely funded by unions and ran by unions leaders. Therefore, it is no surprise that Mr. Brooks, nor the CCPA would hold the opinion that we are overtaxed.

Originally Posted by pinhead

The tax freedom day information comes from the Fraser Institute.

They have definite opinion on the role of government and taxes.

From their web site:
"Canadian Tax Rates
Canada’s tax rates, both personal and business, continue to hinder economic progress and competitiveness. This is because they discourage the very productive behaviour we need more of – hard work, savings, investment, risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
If Canada is to truly achieve its potential, then we need to take a coordinated and concerted effort to lower individual and business taxes at all levels of government."

There are problems with how they calculated Tax Freedom Day"
Here's what an Osgoode Hall Professor says about it
http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/8...e!OpenDocument

The Fraser Institutes "research" on Taxes, Global Warming, the Tobacco Industry and Public Schools should be looked at warily until they take into account the criticisms with their experimental procedures.

[banditpowdercoat]

Originally Posted by Treebeard

The gentlemen who penned that piece is a Mr. Neil Brooks. A little googling confirms thats Mr. Brooks is a contributor to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). It would also appear that the CCPA is left wing organization, largely funded by unions and ran by unions leaders. Therefore, it is no surprise that Mr. Brooks, nor the CCPA would hold the opinion that we are overtaxed.

So you dont think we are over taxed?? Cool, then you can pay my share too then

[Sebae again]

I wonder how many doctors you have standing by your bedside 24 hrs a day for $ 20,000/day. My grandmother's friend had a heart attack in the U.S. and no insurance, for the 20 days in hospital the bill was $400,000 This retired couple had to sell their house and move into an apartment.

[pinhead]

Originally Posted by Treebeard

The gentlemen who penned that piece is a Mr. Neil Brooks. A little googling confirms thats Mr. Brooks is a contributor to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

Googles first link shows he is a full Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and is director of the Graduate Program in Taxation. He is the past Associate Dean of the Law School and has taught at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Illinois. He received is BA at the University of Alberta in 1966 and his law Degree at UBC in 1969. He has been on advisory commitees for the Auditor General and Revenue Canada. He was the editor of the Canadian Tax Journal and besides the CCPA has also been published by such diverse journals as the Australian GST Journal, the Portfolio Committee on Finance for the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and the Harvard Institute for International Development..

By contrast, the primary researcher for tax freedom day for the Fraser institute is Niels Veldhuis. He is the Director of Fisical Studies for the Fraser Institute. He has a bachelors in Business Administration and Masters in Economics from SFU and teaches economics at Kwantlen College in Richmond. He received his Masters in 2000 but has apparently never been published in any academic journal - only Fraser Institute publications.

Originally Posted by Treebeard

It would also appear that the CCPA is left wing organization, largely funded by unions and ran by unions leaders. Therefore, it is no surprise that Mr. Brooks, nor the CCPA would hold the opinion that we are overtaxed.

The Fraser Institute's inital funding in 1974 was from Macmillian Blodell. Between 2003 & 2004, they received 120,000 from Exxon Mobile - in February 2007 the released an "independant summary" on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report. Not surprisingly, they discounted the UN's conclusions on global warming.

The Fraser Institute has sought and received funding from Rothmans, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris. In 1999, The Fraser Institue published the book "Passive Smoke - The EPA's Betrayal of Science and Policy" which questions the link between smoking and cancer

Looking at who funds the Fraser Institute, the lack of qualifications of their authors and their disregard for proper scientific research methodology, it is no surprise that they hold the opinion that we are overtaxed.