Take Action: Income Splitting and Tax Fairness for Families
Take Action Today: Use Easymail below to your MP (CC’d to Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Harper). It just takes a few minutes. {easymail 77}
There is an apparent rift in Conservative ranks these days. According to this Financial Post article, Canada’s finance minister Jim Flaherty sounds like he doesn’t like the idea of income-splitting for families. He says, “It benefits some parts of the Canadian population a lot and other parts . . . not at all.” Such a statement seems a little odd coming from a finance minister who has sprinkled all kinds of little tidbits that benefit “some parts of the Canadian population a lot and other parts… not at all” from sports program tax credits and public transportation tax credits, to volunteer firefighter tax credits and old age tax credits. But, more to the point, as our friend Andrea Mrozek over at the IMFC wrote here, income-splitting isn’t about giving certain tax payers more money, but about treating families equally. “Families are doing their part where they pool income to make ends meet in the family budget. The government is failing to do their part, where they recognize this and tax you accordingly. Instead, they tax your family as individuals, as if you had nothing to do with the man or woman you sleep beside every night, and the children you get up to care for.” Andrea concludes, “Families do not live, work or budget as individuals. Therefore, they should not pay taxes as individuals. It’s truly as simple as that.”
Indeed, it is that simple. And keeping a campaign promise made in 2011 and repeated every year since would be appropriate as well. Fairness and keeping promises. Pretty basic stuff.
