I received an email from a friend suggesting I sign a petition to keep the Canada Revenue Agency from having access to information regarding the sale of our homes. Basically, it’s another effort by the Canadian Taxpayer Federation to get us mad about paying taxes. I remember receiving a visit by this group at my business explaining how small businesses are being screwed by the Federal Government and I should sign up with them. It sounded like a “protection racket” as it is yet another group telling you why you should be mad at yet another group and how they will protect you from the big bad wolf.
I am fully aware that my view of taxation is dramatically different from the norm. I think of the progressive taxation systems shared by most western countries, as being very fair and equitable systems. What’s worse is I have asked to be taxed more, as I think the Scandinavian countries have a more equitable system than most. (Sorry about the blood rising to your head right now).
Regarding the home sale issue, it makes sense to me that you need to report property sales as only your primary residence has a capital gains exemption. Real Estate has been a haven for sheltering ill gotten gains for decades and I know of a few commercial office towers used for money laundering. I don’t see a difference between a gain in real estates and one in shares in a publicly traded company.
Spreading the wealth of a society seems like an appropriate policy. We all seem to differ on what is equitable, particularly when it comes to taxation. Everyone agrees they would pay their fair share, except what they are actually paying, is NOT fair. It’s easy to lay blame at the foot of governments, Federal, Provincial, Municipal, or even condo boards. We vote them in because they are a reflection of us!
… it’s my money and I want to be the steward of how it should be spent…
That is another sentiment I do not share with most. Any success I have had resulted from transactions with others in the community, be it geographic or business community. The “infrastructure” allowed me to graduate thanks to summer employment offered by good corporate citizens, that may not have gotten the best rate of return by employing me. There was a sense of commitment among certain employers that allowed many like me to get degrees without amassing crippling debt.
What is the basis for my socialist attitude? It harkens back to exposure to fairy tales and fables that seemed to promote the value of sharing as a child. As we raised our children, we exposed them to similar mythical value propositions, though may not have done that by example? At what stage did we lose that “sharing” ideal? Does adulthood bring about “enlightenment” that sheds these fairy tale values for the pragmatism of “the real world”? Does happily ever after mean freedom from all financial stress? Freedom from any threat to our “good life”?
When I don my rose coloured glasses, I like to imagine a world where friendships and respectful interactions rule the day. Learning the joy of just interacting with our neighbours and enjoying the interaction, without fine dining or luxurious surroundings, seems to be an ideal worth striving for. It will not happen in my lifetime, …but I can dream, can’t I…
