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CONSERVATIVE HISSY-FITS AND COOKED BOOKS
The vulgar tantrum by Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis at Charlottetown airport has effectively ended her political career. Anybody else behaving in such a threatening, disreputable manner in airport security would surely have been arrested.
But the haughty Ms Guergis is not the only Conservative minister to have a hissy-fit. Another is Finance Minister Jim Flaherty – it happens every time he’s confronted with the impeccable work of Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), Kevin Page.
Ever since he was recruited by the Conservatives for the role of PBO (which the Conservatives themselves created), Mr. Page has been vigilant in exposing government deception and wrong-doing. They wanted him to be their lapdog; instead, he’s a most honest and effective watchdog.
The Finance Minister clearly loathes Mr. Page. Mr. Flaherty’s every word about him is dripping with contempt. But the fact remains – Mr. Page is usually right while Jim Flaherty is not.
The latest dust-up involves Conservative tax hikes.
In the coming fiscal year, the Harper government will increase – repeat, INCREASE – taxes on jobs, airport security, education, savings and even healthcare devices. Billions of additional dollars will be sucked out of Canadians’ pockets.
The most damaging of these new Conservative taxes is their big new tax-on-jobs – i.e., higher Employment Insurance (EI) payroll taxes.
Just when businesses need all the help they can get to stimulate post-recession jobs, the Conservatives are slapping this destructive new tax on every job in the country. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says over 200,000 jobs will be killed.
Kevin Page’s arithmetic shows government revenue from higher EI taxes will leap by more than 60% over the coming five years. No other federal revenue source will grow faster. The Harper government is simply milking EI to the very last drop!
Canadian taxpayers are the ones who should be throwing hissy-fits!
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