Lets not Pretend....

PLAYING – LET’S PRETEND
A story to illustrate Unfair Taxation of Canadians
By Victor Drummond ©
December 2007


As I recall my early year’s one of childhoods favourite past-times was playing fantasy games such as Cops and Robbers, Train Engineer, Airline Pilot, and a variety of Super Hero’s such as Buck Rogers and The Lone Ranger.

Those were some of the happiest times in memory – and as I grew older it seemed
the pretend fantasies were a thing of the past.

Recently, however I realized that adults continue to play such games inter-mixed with interludes of reality.

Among the most prolific “Let’s Pretend” players are members of the Canadian Political Parties and the government agencies they create and/or support.

Leaders in the “Let’s Pretend” arena are the federal party in power, (at any given time), and the Canada Revenue Agency, (CRA).

Currently the party in power has declared the intention of providing ALL Canadians with “Fair” and “Equal” taxation?

Is that a “Lets Pretend” scenario?

If you have any doubts -- on this new government initiative -- just read the speech made by the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, when he addressed the House of Commons, Standing Committee on Finance – January 30th 2007.

Mr. Flaherty’s concluding remarks alone should convince the most confirmed sceptic that “Fair Taxation” for ALL Canadians is just around the corner.

In concluding his speech Mr. Flaherty said:-

“A few finals thoughts to conclude.”
“In the end, our government was faced with a hard choice, and now this Parliament is faced with a big decision: to make the Tax Fairness Plan a reality.”
“We chose not only to recognize a growing problem occurring in Canada’s tax system, but to fix that problem.”
“We made our decision based not on political calculations, as did the previous government, but on principles of tax fairness, balancing the needs of individual investors with the interests of taxpayers and their families.”
“And we acted responsibly and decisively. It is not tax fairness if it is only for a few.”

Those are the kind of words we victims of the taxable benefit -- “Tax on Fictitious Profits” -- are waiting to see put into action.

“We chose not only to recognize a growing problem occurring in Canada’s Tax System but to fix that problem.”

Well Mr. Flaherty lets stop pretending the problem with the Canada Taxable Benefit legislation doesn’t exist.

When honest hard-working Canadian taxpayers are taxed on “Earned Income” that never was -- and never will-be – believe me there is still a BIG PROBLEM in the Canada Tax system.

How about recognizing that problem and acting decisively to fix it?

As you declared:- “It is not tax fairness if it is only for a few.”

I could not have said it better -- myself -- or in plainer language.

Believe me -- if I had the authority to do something about it – and I said that I would do something about it – it would be fixed ASAP come hell and/or high water.

What does it mean when you say it?

So how long is going to take for you to recognize and correct this problem?

Or are we other victimized Canadians expected to pretend the favouritism given the SDL (JDS) victims of this same legislation – via the SDL Employee’s Tax Remission Order -- is all the “Fairness” required?

None of us – that have been left out of the SDL, (JDS), deal -- has that good an imagination.

But we do have 100 percent recall when the next Federal election gets under way.

So let’s stop pretending – fix this problem properly – amend the defective legislation and restore the RIGHT of every Canadian to truly fair REAL INCOME taxation.


Victor Drummond ©