A Question For Carol Goar

And all of those who always seem to object to tax cuts; "Have you arranged to give your share of the tax cut to charity or some other worthwhile org.?"

Small tax cut carries hefty price
Nov. 15, 2006. 01:00 AM
CAROL GOAR

Think back to the last time Finance Minister Jim Flaherty cut the GST.

It was July 1. The national sales tax dropped from 7 per cent to 6 per cent.

Unless you bought a car, a plasma TV or some other big-ticket item within weeks of the announcement, you probably didn't notice much of a change.

In fact, you may have found the adjustment irritating. It knocked a penny or so off the price of coffee, sandwiches and snacks, filling your pockets with unwanted change.

That tax cut cost the national treasury $5.2 billion a year.

For the same amount, Ottawa could have put in place a national network of electronic health records within two years. It could have implemented the Kelowna Accord, giving Canada's aboriginal citizens the tools they need to achieve a decent standard of living. It could have made a serious dent in child poverty. It could have underwritten the kind of research that spawns the industries of the future.

All of those choices seem better than handing shoppers $160 a year in dribs and drabs at the cash register.

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