Flat ta ECONOMIC expedien- ev and tax socialism dis- tinguished the recent debate about the flat tax over the pages of the Financial Post. Author and social policy consultant Martin Loney’s commentary was in itself unre- markable. However, in the contest of Mr. Lonev's known Position on equality of treat- ment for all — his rejection of the principle of non-discrimi- nation was jarring. Mr. Loney is the author of a book that exposes the thin reed policies of preferential hir- ing in Canada. He comes out swinging against hiring, prac- tices based on race and gender, _ and the spurious group-justice concept that has come to usurp individual rights. Mr. Loney, it would seem, embraces the principle of equal treatment of all under the rule of law and equality of opportu- nity, as opposed to equality of outcomes. Enter Mr. Loney’s tax socialism. When it comes to doling out tax cuts, based on the characteristics of low, mid- dle and high income, Canadians should receive dit: ferent shares of the tax-cut pic, with low, and middle-income Canadians receiving, more of the jobs, oops, tax cuts, than high-income earners. Substitute race or gender for income, and university posts for tax cuts, and you have Mr. Loney in revolt against the the- sis of his own book. According to his prejudice, the wealthier you are, the more your private property is up for grabs. Or as Mark Mullins of the Canadian ‘Complete Spa Packages . ineluding cover - STARTING FROM fair comment Alliance promised readers: As a “Canadian value,” progressive: ness in taxation is here to stay. Read; the rights of a minority will continue to be subjected to the “values” of the majority. While Mr. Loney dismisses the identity politics of gender and race, he does in his book allude to income inequality and growing disparities benveen social classes. His will- ingness to dispense with justice on the issue of property then becomes clear, While it is wrong in his estimation to dis- criminate between people based on their race or gender, it is fine somehow to discrimi- nate between them based on their ability to accrue wealth, which, it can be argued, is intrinsic. Regardless of how socialists account for the natur- al inequalities of men, they agree that to compel some members of society to supply others with their needs is just conduct. The numbers tell us that the top 30% of Canadian income earners pay 65.7% of ali taxes, but also carn 58.3% of all income. Presumably the statistician merely wishes to impart information by pointing to the portion of income, all told, the “rich” earn. Mr. Loney, on the other hand, is guilty of obfuscation when he ans high-income earners should not get the benetits of a flat tay because “a taxpaver carning $90,000 receives three umes the income of an average camer...” Reeeives? Whe trom? Mr. Loney here implies that there ix a delimited income pie trom which a disproportionate amount of wealth is handed over by fiat to the “rich”; a Most disingenuous characteri- zation when you consider that, in a free market, labour pro- ductivity is the main determi- nant of wages, Economist William Watson chorused his difficulties with the Alliance flat tax proposal on the grounds that it doesn’t eliminate enough deductions and exemptions and hence fails to broaden the tax base. In short, deductions benefit the individual taxpayer, but consti- tute a social waste and are thus economically inefficient. The utilitarian gladly trades justice for expedients; the socialist, however, has no concept of justice to begin with; he prefers mob rule to the cherished con- stitutional principles of equality and consent. Bear in mind that taxes are private property confiscated by force (to test this try not pay- ing them). The flat tax is thus only a hobble in the right direction and must be support- ed by tax deductions. Be they mortgage-interest deductions, RRSPs or “charitable and tuition deductions” — the more the tax bill is reduced, the more private property remains with its nghtful own- ers. Further, in a free enterprise system, people do not pay for goods and services in propor- tion to their income. Rather, All Barbecues on Sale thev all pay the same amount. ‘The thirest method of taxation then would be a poll or head tay, where we are all taxed equally. That the poor would not afford much would limit government spending like nothing else. The debate would be incomplete without Mr. Loney’s last-ditch attempt at justice Yet another reason he Opposes 2 flat tay is that it stands to benefit the workers of the pay-equity engorged public sector, This is like objecting to the abolition of slavery because slaves with jobs inside the mansion stand to benefit more than slaves toiling, in the cotton-fields. He wiil be closer than ever before! You will find him on Marine Drive in Friday. August 11, 2000 - North Shore News - 7 Space... the final frontier. We're not stuck f Rack ‘n’ Roll Car Rack Shop Now Open! ese tester (IT Steatth ree LO INGIEEN TIE m Git , sn. STILE ULEYACILIE AN] EE Coston WELG OME TO BIKE v & BOARDIN’ HEAVEN! wurejohnhenrybives com. Seiad saad North Vancouver. Furniture Beka and Compex 10-40% \ OFF REGULAR PRICES Model: “Athens” exclusive to Sofa Unlimited Company, features Top Grain Italian Leather, styling «ud quality craftsmanship. Available in 46 different colors chosen from Collection One! 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