ONE-O-ONE TO TWO HUNDRED
Canadians who have been legally robbed and financially devastated
due to “Income” Taxes levied on nonexistent, (phantom), income,
have been submitting comments to the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation”,
(CFET), Petition for the Canadian Government.
The Second one hundred submissions are presented here with comments
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
Below are the opening lines of the CFET petition.
To the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Revenue, Members of parliament of all parties We, the undersigned, are shocked to learn that the government is taxing people on paper income they never in reality made, a.k.a. phantom income.
(Note: Victor Drummond: Definition of “phantom income”.
Phantom income is income that “might” have happened but did not happen yet has bee taxed as though it did happen. Unfairness personified.)
Visit: www.cfet.ca to read the full text.
========================================
The second 100 entries on the Petition Sign-on page -- with space for comment -- are as follows:
Of the 100 individual entries only 24 posted a comment.
Not one comment, however, said anything good about the taxing of phantom income.
Of the 100 individual entries 17 preferred to sign in as “Anonymous”
Why?
The best explanation for some people to remain anonymous, when signing the CFET petition, was contained in an e-mail that arrived at the CFET via the web page -- inquiry@ link -- last week.
The author of the letter explained why they supported CFET but was reluctant to actually join the group, as follows: I wished to remain anonymous. I suspect cra folk read these and remember..
That is our Canada – a place where many honest, hard-working, victimized taxpayers, and their supporters, are afraid to be identified with their honest opinion for fear of being persecuted.
Do you suppose there is any justification for this concern? It has never happened to me, yet.
Ask someone who lost their home, and/or life savings, to the taxman, what they think about possible reprisals for telling it the way they see it.
What a sad state of affairs for honest, hard-working, Canadians to find themselves living with.
Especially when the Canadian Government has produced a document titled:
“Serving Canadians – Canada’s System of Justice”
Ref: www.justice.gc.ca/eng/dept-min/pub/just/img/courten.pdf
Telling Canadians how Canadian laws are designed to assure equality and fairness.
The Second one hundred CFET Petition Entries
=========================================
(101) M.D. No comment
(102) C.A. No comment
(103) Anonymous No comment
(104) R.N. No comment
(105) G.B. No comment
(106) D.B. No comment
(107) B.R. No comment
(108) B.O’S No comment
(109) Anonymous No comment
(110) Anonymous No comment
(111) Anonymous No comment
(112) G.E. No comment
(113) D.P. No comment
(114) G.R.H. No comment
(115) R.B. I simply didn't understand that when they said tax deferral it didn't work the same
as RRSP's. I actually owed $47,000 in taxes before I even received the shares by courier! If all Canadians are equal, why have some been let off? I thought taxation was a way to share wealth - not my life savings.
(116) R.K. No comment
(117) Anonymous No comment
(118) C.B. No comment
(119) A.N. No comment
(120) Anonymous No comment
(121) J.M. No comment
(122) Anonymous No comment
(123) N.D. No comment
(124) P.C.W. No comment
(125) D.E. I have been involved in over 10 start up's and in each case the ability to use stock options as a key part of attracting employees to join the company was instrumental in our success. This tax is punitive and regressive and punishes those people willing to take a risk with new ventures. I would hope that the Government of Canada wants to reward these innovators not punish them. Action needs to be taken to address this punitive tax issue immediately.
(126) T.P. No comment
(127)B.C. Canadian Taxpayers are usually mobile workers and Canadian Tax laws must remain competitive with USA or else workers will seek employment in US locations. Key Knowledge workers are the prime asset and future foundation of Canadian Jobs and Job Development.-----DO NOT KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE.
(128) J.S. No comment
(129) R.G. No comment
(130) J.H. No comment
(131) Anonymous I am a chartered accountant in public practice and have many clients adversely effected by this. What’s even more unfair is that a group of employees in Victoria (JDS Uniphase) were given special relief. Where is the equity in this?
(132) T.P. No comment
(133) K.S. No comment
(134) M.K. No comment
(135) B.H. No comment
(136) B.M. No comment
(137) D.C. This problem has arisen in our company as part of a policy we had to encourage people to be owners of shares in the company. They now have serious liabilities as a result of this ownership plan.
(138) D.N. No comment
(139) Anonymous This does seem an unfair situation when people are incurring a tax liability without any associated benefit.
(140) M.S. No comment
(141) J.S. No comment
(142) I.W. No comment
(143) M.S. Stock options are a key incentive to drive entrepreneurship in Canada. They need to be treated fairly tax-wise
(144) P.E.S. I would have to die first before selling the shares as to do otherwise would be wipe out my retirement income with taxes owed on money I never received. This is like living with an anvil over my head.
(145) T.D. No comment
(146) G.I. I was employed at JDSU as a Mechanical Engineer and received a number of stock options. In my retirement this unfair tax has left me in in danger of losing my home and property. I have been working with CRA to resolve my tax debt by other means but with little success to date. Meanwhile the debt continues to grow.
(147) B.C. No comment
(148) N.S. I've been working in the investment industry - and advising clients - for the past decade, and have come across many individuals who have been seriously harmed by this ill conceived taxation. I am aware of some of the nuances as to why the taxation was thought to be prudent, but I am also aware of the many-fold more reasons as to why it has been indiscriminately damaging - both to individuals who have faced ruin as an innocent consequence to their actions, as well as to new/young/growing businesses trying to attract and keep talent. As the petition states, there are many viable approaches for remedying the situation while still adhering to the principle of "fair taxation".
(149) G.B. No comment
(150) W.S. As a victim of taxes owing on income never received, I clearly support the need for a retroactive fix to the legislation than has placed me in a situation that my MP has described as "unconscionable". I do not believe that our MPs ever intended the legislation to penalize citizens. I doubt that the circumstances that have created this situation were ever thought about. It is conceptually an easy fix.
(151) S.N. This is especially in light of the fact that the government made an exception in the case to the JDSU employees at christmas time
(152) J.C. Obviously a problem for the unsuspecting. To help understand the issue such that a better case can be built, it would be useful to know what tax loopholes, if any, may be opened up by making these changes and why, from a Revenue Canada perspective, they have not recommended a change before now.
(153) K.H. No comment
(154) R.W.Mc. No comment
(155) A.B. No comment
(156) Y.L. No comment
(157) N.F. No comment
(158) P.D. No comment
(159) D.F. No comment
(160) A.M. This law seems very unfair to people who work very hard to develop companies and products to improve the economics of Canada.
(161) E.J. This review is long overdue. The current policy discourages entrepreneurship, which I do not feel is the intent of government
(162) L.P. No comment
(163) A.P. Options should be viewed as a vital element in the creation of a vibrant IT industry. Common sense should prevail based on an understanding that any cash tax payments should be associated with a realized cash benefit [e.g., at disposition?].
(164) D.E. No comment
(165) L.Y. No comment
(166) G.C. No comment
(167) D.S. No comment
(168) D.T. No comment
(169) W.W. No comment
(170) Anonymous No comment
(171) T.G.O’F I can accept a tax on actual gains, where the funds are available for paying tax. However, "paper gains" like this make no sense
(172) T.N. This is an unfair tax and politicians need to fix this immediately!
(173) Anonymous No comment
(174) M.R. No comment
(175) M.S. No comment
(176) Anonymous No comment
(177) R.C. No comment
(178) M.V. No comment
(179) B.M. No comment
(180) S.I. Thanks for your attention to this matter. As a respectable Canadian, I paid my taxes as I was instructed to do. However, have always felt it was unjust to tax me for money I never made. I had left Nortel had to exercise my options. Still believing it was a great company and not in any need for immediate cash, I bought the stocks and put them into my account. Who knew the stock would go down to less than I paid???
(181) C.H. No comment
(182) J.B. This is clearly unfair, no profit was made, so why tax it?
(183) Anonymous Some of my friends have been victim of this barbarian law. It must go before it destroys so many families.
(184) C.K. I am personally affected by this issue. I exercised options of Scientific Atlanta (SFA) when I left the company. SA was subsequently sold at a far lower price. I am now on the hook for a phantom gain. Why do I not deserve the same treatment as other Canadians in the same position?
(185) Anonymous No comment
(186) Anonymous No comment
(187) I.H. The CRA and Finance have already given selective relief to favoured parties such as JDS Uniphase. Clearly, others are affected but without the same political influence. In the interest of tax fairness, the benefit must be treated as a taxable capital gain, which is available as an offset in the case of a realized capital loss.
(188) T.P. No comment
(189) C.H. No comment
(190) C.H. No comment (Not the same C.H.)
(191) X.(S).Z. I have been waiting for this petition for a long time. I believe that there are lots of people there who are in the similar situation and don't know CFET. It is fortunate for me to read an article in Ottawa Business Journal. Let us do something to save lifes and families of many hard working tax payers!
(192) B.L. This is an unfair approach to taxation and needs to be corrected.
(193) J.D. No comment
(194) P.T. No comment
(195) R.B. No comment
(196) J.M. This is a core issue of fairness for individuals and a wet blanket on tech business development in Canada.
(197) K.B. No comment
(198) R.H. This regressive tax situation predominates in future-oriented, knowledge-based companies and their employees and executives. As a result, this is one more component of a regulatory and tax fabric which make it harder for us to be internationally competitive in this all-important sector.
(199) Anonymous No comment
(200) Anonymous No comment
===========================================
In the above listing only the initials of the CFET petition signers have been given.
If you found the above posted comments interesting you should visit the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation” web pages and follow the “Sign our Petition” and “Signatures” links to get an advanced reading of a planned future Victor Drummond blog titled: “FROM TWO-O-ONE TO THREE HUNDRED”.
While catching up on this topic sign the CFET petition, and post a comment, to add incentive for the Canadian Government to take corrective action.
Also planned for future Victor Drummond postings, to this blog, are a series of letters, e-mails and snail mails to various Ministers and MP’s in Canada’s Governments, past and present, and the really intelligent replies those appellants, lucky enough to get a reply, received in response.
Names and dates of the letters to be posted may be altered, or omitted, to protect the identity of the guilty.
If you would like to support the CFET mission to achieve taxation of phantom income in Canada as fair as it now is in the USA then contact you’re Member of Parliament and say so.
Ref: www.fair-iso.org and www.reformAMT.org
Canadian Government document: “Serving Canadians – Canada’s System of Justice” (Yah Right).
Do not tell me Canada’s laws are designed to provide equality and fairness while imposing real taxes on imaginary income – show me.
Correct the unfair taxable benefit legislation and fairly compensate those victimized by it.
M.P. contact information is listed on the web page at: http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
See you at the next federal election polls O’Grady.
Victor Drummond ©
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
SERVING CANADIANS..
SERVING CANADIANS – CANADA’S SYSTEM OF JUSTICE
You can not eat everything you see or believe everything you read.
A commentary on selected Canadian Government Publications
Proclaiming the Fairness and Justice of Canada’s Laws.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
A good place to begin a review of Canada’s System of Justice, is at the Government of Canada web page:
www.justice.gc.ca/eng/dept-min/pub/just/img/courten.pdf
This web page displays an official, (not legal), document which bears the title of this article:
“Serving Canadians” – Canada’s System of Justice.”
The message conveyed by the title informs the reader (that) the intent of the Canadian Justice System is to “Serve the best interests” of all honest, decent, Canadians.
The document begins with a question, and continues with some answers, such as the following:
Why do we need laws – What else do laws achieve?
pdf page 8, document page 2 (selected paragraph)
Laws are also aimed at ensuring fairness.
By recognizing and protecting basic individual rights and freedoms, such as liberty and equality, our laws ensure that stronger groups and individuals do not use their powerful positions to take unfair advantage of weaker groups or people.
From the conduct displayed by Canada’s “Government” it appears none of our Members of Canada’s 40th Parliament and none of our federal political party leaders have read and/or comprehended what that document is all about.
Or worse still they have read the document and do understand its wording, and intent, but adopt the attitude (that) it is merely political rhetoric to impress the gullible public, and no one in authority need pay any attention to it. Judging from the fact those in government ignore all appeals by Canadians, individual and group, for reform of our defective, abusive and unjust taxable benefit legislation this is the most likely explanation.
What other explanation is there for a law to exist, and continue in operation for nearly a decade, that imposes a real tax on purely potential but nonexistent, (phantom), income?
This unjustifiable extortion has been financially decimating to many victims and in many cases is being imposed on the basis of an unfounded assumption.
As the victimized taxpayer has never received the money, being taxed, they must find other sources of money to pay the tax, such as drawing upon retirement, savings, and/or children’s education funds and/or borrowing money and/or disposing of real property such as a home.
One would be hard pressed to find a more glaring example of people in more “powerful positions taking unfair advantage of weaker groups or people.”
When some 44 victims of this unjust tax had these taxes, and related penalties, revoked, by way of a discriminatory Tax Remission Order (TRO), (leaving tens of thousands of excluded victims to pay this outrageous tax any way they could), the “ensured fairness” of the law was blown right out of the water.
This blatantly discriminatory, unfair and unjust government action has been appealed by many equally victimized Canadians but no action has been taken, to date to, rectify the situation.
Every Member of the House of Commons has been made aware of this on-going violation of the Canadian System of Justice and only one, so far, has done anything to try to correct the problem?
One Member of Canada’s 40th parliament has shown the decency and compassion to defend an abused constituent and has written a letter to the Minister of Finance requesting the flawed taxable benefit legislation be corrected and those already victimized fairly compensated.
Another statement in the subject document deals with “Equality Rights:
Equality rights
(pdf page 20, document page 14)
Everyone, regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or
physical disability, is equal before the law and has equal protection and benefit of the law.
This means that laws and government programs, such as pension plans, must not be discriminatory.
How does a “Tax Remission Order”, (TRO), that gives relief of unjustified taxation on money that never existed, (phantom income), for some 44 victimized Canadians, while excluding many thousands of other victimized Canadians’ rate in the “Equality rights” category?
Are the excluded victimized taxpayers not being discriminated against in this situation?
“Yes” they are discriminated against, beyond any doubt.
How about protection guaranteed all Canadians under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
Here is what the document “Canadian System of Justice” has to say about that:
Charter Rights
Pdf pages 18-19, Document pages 12-13
Under the agreement between the federal and provincial governments that resulted in the Constitution Act, both Parliament and the provincial legislatures keep some limited power to pass laws that may violate Charter rights. This is democratic because it gives the elected legislatures the last word. However, their power is still limited because Parliament or a provincial legislature must specifically declare that it is passing a law “notwithstanding” specified provisions of the Charter.
This declaration must be reviewed and re-enacted at least every five years or it
will not remain in force.
Can anyone dispute the defective taxable benefit legislation, and the discriminatory TRO that it spawned, do not violate every Canadian’s “Rights” to equal treatment under the law?
They both certainly do. So has anyone seen a “notwithstanding” declaration, at any time, from Canada’s Parliament, to validate this violation? If there is one it hasn’t come to my attention.
If there hasn’t been such a declaration then according to the guidelines presented in the document: “Canada’s Justice System” the defective taxable benefit legislation is not now, and has not been, valid since the tax on nonexistent income began in the year 2000.
And what does the document say about legal rights?
Legal rights
(pdf page 19, Document page 13)
The Charter also protects the individual and ensures fairness during legal proceedings, particularly in
criminal cases. The rights to habeas corpus, or the right to challenge being detained or held, and to be
presumed innocent until proven guilty – always recognized as part of our law – are now guaranteed in
our constitution.
How about the fairness during legal proceedings and the right to the presumption of: innocent until proven guilty.
This assumption is head-on contradictory to the Canada Revenue Agency, (CRA), policy of levying horrendous taxes on phantom income based on the unproven assumption the taxpayer has deliberately decided to play the markets. This amounts to an assumption of guilty until proven innocent.
The CRA has, without a shred of evidence, placed the onus on the victimized taxpayer to prove their innocence whereas the Canada Justice System document places the onus on the CRA to prove the taxpayers guilt. (Another violation of Canadian citizens basic guaranteed rights.)
Then what does the document say about fixing defective legislation?
Changing The Laws
pdf page 13, Document page 7
Government legal experts are constantly examining our laws, looking for ways to improve them.
Law reform committees review laws and recommend changes.
Lawyers bring questions of law to court to bring about change.
Social action groups seek changes to laws that they consider unfair to members of Canadian society.
Legislators at the federal, provincial and territorial governments respond by introducing new laws or
amendments to old ones to be considered and debated in Parliament and the legislatures.
Ultimately, though, the responsibility for changing our laws is not left entirely to the lawyers, the experts or the interest groups.
It is the people of Canada who elect the lawmakers; we need to decide what we want from the
law and then make sure it reflects those wishes.
Everyone has the right to point out flaws in the law and to work towards changing these laws – lawfully, of course.
Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation (CFET) is: “A social action group” that has been appealing the injustice, unfairness and inequality of Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation for over a year without results.
No one has contested CFET’s claim (that) the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy of taxing phantom income, under the umbrella of defective taxable benefit legislation, is unfair, unjust, a violation of the victims right to the presumption of innocence. AND no one has taken effective action to correct this atrocity either.
Where does Canada’s Prime Minister (PM) stand on this issue? Not a peep out of our PM.
Where do the leaders of Canada’s opposition parties stand on this atrocity? Not a peep out of any one of them on this issue.
Are they all afraid to say they agree with a tax policy that is so outrageous, and also afraid to stand up for their victimized constituents? That is not the kind of government honest Canadians deserve.
So what purpose does the document: “Canada’s System of Justice”, “Serving Canadians” actually serve when the words and intent of the document are not observed by the very government(s) that created them?
Readers of this blog, who agree the taxing of phantom income is “unfair and unjustified” and who want to see Canada’s government live up to the word and intent of their own document: “Serving Canadians – Canada’s system of justice”, please forward a copy of this blog to their Member of Parliament with a statement telling their MP you want this defective legislation amended and those who have already been victimized fairly compensated.
You will find contact information for your MP at this web page:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
See you at the next federal election voting polls O’Grady.
Victor Drummond ©
You can not eat everything you see or believe everything you read.
A commentary on selected Canadian Government Publications
Proclaiming the Fairness and Justice of Canada’s Laws.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
A good place to begin a review of Canada’s System of Justice, is at the Government of Canada web page:
www.justice.gc.ca/eng/dept-min/pub/just/img/courten.pdf
This web page displays an official, (not legal), document which bears the title of this article:
“Serving Canadians” – Canada’s System of Justice.”
The message conveyed by the title informs the reader (that) the intent of the Canadian Justice System is to “Serve the best interests” of all honest, decent, Canadians.
The document begins with a question, and continues with some answers, such as the following:
Why do we need laws – What else do laws achieve?
pdf page 8, document page 2 (selected paragraph)
Laws are also aimed at ensuring fairness.
By recognizing and protecting basic individual rights and freedoms, such as liberty and equality, our laws ensure that stronger groups and individuals do not use their powerful positions to take unfair advantage of weaker groups or people.
From the conduct displayed by Canada’s “Government” it appears none of our Members of Canada’s 40th Parliament and none of our federal political party leaders have read and/or comprehended what that document is all about.
Or worse still they have read the document and do understand its wording, and intent, but adopt the attitude (that) it is merely political rhetoric to impress the gullible public, and no one in authority need pay any attention to it. Judging from the fact those in government ignore all appeals by Canadians, individual and group, for reform of our defective, abusive and unjust taxable benefit legislation this is the most likely explanation.
What other explanation is there for a law to exist, and continue in operation for nearly a decade, that imposes a real tax on purely potential but nonexistent, (phantom), income?
This unjustifiable extortion has been financially decimating to many victims and in many cases is being imposed on the basis of an unfounded assumption.
As the victimized taxpayer has never received the money, being taxed, they must find other sources of money to pay the tax, such as drawing upon retirement, savings, and/or children’s education funds and/or borrowing money and/or disposing of real property such as a home.
One would be hard pressed to find a more glaring example of people in more “powerful positions taking unfair advantage of weaker groups or people.”
When some 44 victims of this unjust tax had these taxes, and related penalties, revoked, by way of a discriminatory Tax Remission Order (TRO), (leaving tens of thousands of excluded victims to pay this outrageous tax any way they could), the “ensured fairness” of the law was blown right out of the water.
This blatantly discriminatory, unfair and unjust government action has been appealed by many equally victimized Canadians but no action has been taken, to date to, rectify the situation.
Every Member of the House of Commons has been made aware of this on-going violation of the Canadian System of Justice and only one, so far, has done anything to try to correct the problem?
One Member of Canada’s 40th parliament has shown the decency and compassion to defend an abused constituent and has written a letter to the Minister of Finance requesting the flawed taxable benefit legislation be corrected and those already victimized fairly compensated.
Another statement in the subject document deals with “Equality Rights:
Equality rights
(pdf page 20, document page 14)
Everyone, regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or
physical disability, is equal before the law and has equal protection and benefit of the law.
This means that laws and government programs, such as pension plans, must not be discriminatory.
How does a “Tax Remission Order”, (TRO), that gives relief of unjustified taxation on money that never existed, (phantom income), for some 44 victimized Canadians, while excluding many thousands of other victimized Canadians’ rate in the “Equality rights” category?
Are the excluded victimized taxpayers not being discriminated against in this situation?
“Yes” they are discriminated against, beyond any doubt.
How about protection guaranteed all Canadians under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
Here is what the document “Canadian System of Justice” has to say about that:
Charter Rights
Pdf pages 18-19, Document pages 12-13
Under the agreement between the federal and provincial governments that resulted in the Constitution Act, both Parliament and the provincial legislatures keep some limited power to pass laws that may violate Charter rights. This is democratic because it gives the elected legislatures the last word. However, their power is still limited because Parliament or a provincial legislature must specifically declare that it is passing a law “notwithstanding” specified provisions of the Charter.
This declaration must be reviewed and re-enacted at least every five years or it
will not remain in force.
Can anyone dispute the defective taxable benefit legislation, and the discriminatory TRO that it spawned, do not violate every Canadian’s “Rights” to equal treatment under the law?
They both certainly do. So has anyone seen a “notwithstanding” declaration, at any time, from Canada’s Parliament, to validate this violation? If there is one it hasn’t come to my attention.
If there hasn’t been such a declaration then according to the guidelines presented in the document: “Canada’s Justice System” the defective taxable benefit legislation is not now, and has not been, valid since the tax on nonexistent income began in the year 2000.
And what does the document say about legal rights?
Legal rights
(pdf page 19, Document page 13)
The Charter also protects the individual and ensures fairness during legal proceedings, particularly in
criminal cases. The rights to habeas corpus, or the right to challenge being detained or held, and to be
presumed innocent until proven guilty – always recognized as part of our law – are now guaranteed in
our constitution.
How about the fairness during legal proceedings and the right to the presumption of: innocent until proven guilty.
This assumption is head-on contradictory to the Canada Revenue Agency, (CRA), policy of levying horrendous taxes on phantom income based on the unproven assumption the taxpayer has deliberately decided to play the markets. This amounts to an assumption of guilty until proven innocent.
The CRA has, without a shred of evidence, placed the onus on the victimized taxpayer to prove their innocence whereas the Canada Justice System document places the onus on the CRA to prove the taxpayers guilt. (Another violation of Canadian citizens basic guaranteed rights.)
Then what does the document say about fixing defective legislation?
Changing The Laws
pdf page 13, Document page 7
Government legal experts are constantly examining our laws, looking for ways to improve them.
Law reform committees review laws and recommend changes.
Lawyers bring questions of law to court to bring about change.
Social action groups seek changes to laws that they consider unfair to members of Canadian society.
Legislators at the federal, provincial and territorial governments respond by introducing new laws or
amendments to old ones to be considered and debated in Parliament and the legislatures.
Ultimately, though, the responsibility for changing our laws is not left entirely to the lawyers, the experts or the interest groups.
It is the people of Canada who elect the lawmakers; we need to decide what we want from the
law and then make sure it reflects those wishes.
Everyone has the right to point out flaws in the law and to work towards changing these laws – lawfully, of course.
Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation (CFET) is: “A social action group” that has been appealing the injustice, unfairness and inequality of Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation for over a year without results.
No one has contested CFET’s claim (that) the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy of taxing phantom income, under the umbrella of defective taxable benefit legislation, is unfair, unjust, a violation of the victims right to the presumption of innocence. AND no one has taken effective action to correct this atrocity either.
Where does Canada’s Prime Minister (PM) stand on this issue? Not a peep out of our PM.
Where do the leaders of Canada’s opposition parties stand on this atrocity? Not a peep out of any one of them on this issue.
Are they all afraid to say they agree with a tax policy that is so outrageous, and also afraid to stand up for their victimized constituents? That is not the kind of government honest Canadians deserve.
So what purpose does the document: “Canada’s System of Justice”, “Serving Canadians” actually serve when the words and intent of the document are not observed by the very government(s) that created them?
Readers of this blog, who agree the taxing of phantom income is “unfair and unjustified” and who want to see Canada’s government live up to the word and intent of their own document: “Serving Canadians – Canada’s system of justice”, please forward a copy of this blog to their Member of Parliament with a statement telling their MP you want this defective legislation amended and those who have already been victimized fairly compensated.
You will find contact information for your MP at this web page:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
See you at the next federal election voting polls O’Grady.
Victor Drummond ©
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
FROM ONE TO..
FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED
Canadians who have been legally robbed and financially devastated
due to “Income” Taxes levied on nonexistent, (phantom), income,
have been submitting comments to the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation”,
(CFET), Petition for the Canadian Government.
The First one hundred submissions are presented here with comments
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
Below are the opening lines of the CFET petition.
To the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Revenue, Members of parliament of all parties
We, the undersigned, are shocked to learn that the government is taxing people on paper income they never in reality made, a.k.a. phantom income.
Visit: www.cfet.ca to read the full text.
==============================================
The first 100 entries on the Petition Sign-on page -- with space for comment -- are as follows:
There are only 98 individual entries, in that space, as two are recognizable duplicates.
Of the 98 individual entries only 31 posted a comment.
Not one comment, however, said anything good about the taxing of phantom income.
Of the 98 individual entries 15 preferred to sign in as “Anonymous”
Why?
The best explanation for some people to remain anonymous, when signing the CFET petition, was contained in an e-mail that arrived at the CFET via the web page -- inquiry@ link -- this week.
The author of the letter explained why they supported CFET but was reluctant to actually join the group, as follows:
"I wished to remain anonymous. I suspect cra folk read these and remember.."
That is our Canada – a place where many honest, hard-working, victimized taxpayers, and their supporters, are afraid to be identified with their honest opinion for fear of being persecuted.
Do you suppose there is any justification for this concern? It has never happened to me, yet.
Ask someone who lost their home, and/or life savings, to the taxman, what they think about possible reprisals for telling it the way they see it.
What a sad state of affairs for honest, hard-working, Canadians to find themselves living with.
==============================================
The First one hundred CFET Petition Entries
(1) R.V. No comment – known victim of tax on phantom income
(2) G.L.H. No comment – Family relative of known victim.
(3) L.M.H. No comment – Family relative of known victim
(4) J.B. I lost about $60,000 in stock options – known victim
(5) S.F. No comment
(6) Anonymous The Department of Finance has been aware of the unfairness in the income tax legislation as it relates to stock options for a number of years and has not considered the negative personal financial consequences significant enough to change the legislation. Finance has allowed remission orders for several people with almost identical fact patterns to some of the individuals involved in this petition and have made little or no attempt to correct the legislative problem.
(7) K.T. This unjust and punitive legislation should never have been allowed to exist in Canada in the first place.
(8) T.B. The law must be changed! I am not involved, but I understand the unfairness and stupidity of the present law. I will be taking up the matter with my Conservative MP James Lunney to request his support for a change.
(9) P. M. No comment
(10) K.A. No comment
(11) R.K. No comment known victim
(12) B.B. No comment
(13) J.T. No comment known victim
(14) F.K. No comment
(15) R. de Z. The 'employment benefit' should only be calculated on income received, when shares are sold, not when options are exercised and no income has been realized.
(16) G.C. The tax law vis-a-vis ESOs is clearly unreasonable. It is as ridiculous as saying the capital gain on a stock investment should be based not on the actual buy & sell prices, but on the lowest and highest market prices of the stock during the time it was held--since that was the potential capital gain on the transaction. Stupid and punitive.
(17) K.H. No comment known victim
(18) T.B. No comment
(19) L.R. No comment
(20) Anonymous The ESOB/ESPP legislation is flawed. The Conservative govt recognizes this fact by its action to extend relief to a select group of Canadians. I congratulate the Conservative govt for this relief. However, the govt must now extend the same relief to all canadians impacted by the flawed legislation. The govt must act immediately to prevent any further suffering and potentially serious consequences. Taxing people on unrealized income is simply forcing canadians to make loan to the government at 0% interest rate. This is clearly unacceptable in any civilized nations, especially canada which prides itself as a just and fair society.
(21) D.R.P. The current tax legislation on ESO's is very unfair and punitive
(22) Anonymous No comment
(23) Anonymous No comment
(24) T.H. No comment
(25) L.P. No comment
(26) L.H. No comment
(27) R.I. No comment
(28) A.S. No comment
(29) A.K. No comment
(30) M.B. No comment
(31) C. This tax has destroyed many families and ruined the lives of many hard working people. The government must act immediately before more people's lives get destroyed.
(32) M.W. Back in 1999 I got the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance interested in this issue, and a letter was sent to Paul Martin (then Finance Minister). Nothing useful came of it.
(33) Anonymous No comment
(34) Anonymous I am personally affected by this flawed tax law. As the company I worked for during the boom and bust was finally de-listed last year, I am forced to declare the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of phantom employment "benefit" on this year's tax return. This is another family about to be destroyed!
(35) M.M. This legislation is a blot on the Canadian society that prides itself on compassion, justice and fair play. It also undermines the competitiveness of the Canadian high-tech industry and discourages young Canadians from taking up careers in developing new technology.
(36) P.M. No comment
(37) Anonymous I am one of the individuals affected by this legislation. I would like to see us given the same treatment as former JDS Uniphase employees in BC got last year from the Federal government while facing a similar tax situation.
(38) R.S.O. I went to work for a lesser salary and employee options. I understood that I could move to the US for a much more substantial salary. I understood that I took a risk by reducing my ability to save money for my families future. And I balanced these against an opportunity represented by my options. Neither myself nor my employer nor my accountant understood the real risk I incurred. The Canadian
government communicated the benefits of employee options very well; they were
fighting the "brain drain". However, they didn't communicate the risk at all;
thousands of Canadians now owe taxes on money they never saw.
(39) J.L. No comment
(40) G.M. Based on this surprise, I'll think twice before taking a job with stock options.
(41) M.M. No comment
(42) G.H. No comment
(43) J.H. Canadians are generally completely unaware of this unjust tax law. When made aware that debt on phantom profits is a reality in our supposed "fair country" we call Canada....the response is always "how can this be"???????
(44) G.B. As with all beefs with unfair taxes it depends on who you know in government, not whether its fair or unjust. If you'r the Bronfman family for example you get a one time exemption to shift all your profits to the USA to avoid paying the tax in Canada . Don’t try this yourself you need politicians in your pocket so to speak.. We are one of the few countries in the world where a CCR letter of advice
in not binding. So they can make it it up on the go, is that fair? NO.
(45) M.F.G. The inequity of these laws is certainly a low point for Canadian taxation. The government that has the sense of fairness to correct this injustice would do well by the voters of Canada.
(46) M.W. No comment
(47) B.M. No comment
(48) S.G. No comment
(49) Anonymous No comment
(50) M.N. No comment
(51) D.I. No comment
(52) T.B. No comment
(53) K.F. No comment
(54) A.M. No comment
(55) S. No comment
(56) Anonymous I would also like to propose to withdraw capital gain taxes as a separate class of income. All income are same that we use them for living.
(57) P.T. This is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed as it severely impacts the entrepreneurial individuals that seek to make a difference and are willing to take some risks
(58) T.P. No comment
(59) Anonymous No comment
(60) E.B. No comment
(61) D.J.B. No comment
(62) A.G. No comment
(63) D.K. No comment
(64) S.B. No comment
(65) R.D. No comment
(66) J.W. No comment
(67) F.H. No comment
(68) D.P. This is clearly ridiculous and needs to be changed by a brilliant politician
(69) D.P. No comment
(70) Anonymous No comment
(71) D.B. No comment
(72) M.H. Time for common sense to prevail. Business in Canada is tough enough as it is without additional detractors.
(73) M.B. No comment
(74) L.C. No comment
(75) D.G. No comment
(76) B.J. No comment
(77) J.D. No comment
(78) M.M. Canada already has trouble keeping talented people here because of our taxes.Taxing citizens on money they never had is definitely unfair.
(79) R.L. No comment
(80) J.B. No comment
(81) G.H. No comment
(82) J.Y. No comment
(83) D.J. No comment
(84) S.K.A. This is extremely important for many of us. This situation needs to be addressed and fixed. Thanks for taking this initiative.
(85) R.A.E. Taxing potential, theoretical income, not real income is blatantly unfair. The law must be changed before more citizens are hurt.
(86) S.K.A. This is extremely important for many of us. This situation must be addressed and fixed. I know one of my colleagues who has nervous breakdown through this situation and has been very sick. Thanks for the initiative
(87) S.K.A. Duplicate of (86) above.
(88) Anonymous Completely unfair and hence un-Canadian.
(89) A.H. The law as it stands is brutally unfair and should be amended immediately I have not personally been harmed by this unjust aberration in Canada's tax law but I do know some who have.
(90) G.M. No comment
(91) G.J. this is a very unfair tax burden
(92) P.D. No comment
(93) P.H. Taxing citizens on money that they never received is definitely unfair.
(94) Anonymous No comment
(95) C.H. No comment
(96) C.H. Duplicate of (95) above.
(97) Anonymous I support the above petition.
(98) J.K. No comment
(99) Anonymous No comment
(100) C.K. No comment
===========================================
In the above listing only the initials of the CFET petition signers have been given.
If you found the above posted comments interesting you should visit the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation” web pages and follow the “Sign our Petition” and “Signatures” links to get an advanced reading of a planned future Victor Drummond blog titled: “FROM ONE HUNDRED TO TWO HUNDRED”.
While catching up on this topic sign the CFET petition, and post a comment, to add incentive for the Canadian Government to take corrective action.
Also planned for future Victor Drummond postings, to this blog, are a series of letters, e-mails and snail mails to various Ministers and MP’s in Canada’s Governments, past and present, and the really intelligent replies those appellants, lucky enough to get a reply, received in response.
Names and dates of the letters to be posted may be altered, or omitted, to protect the identity of the guilty.
If you would like to support the mission of CFET to achieve taxation of phantom income in Canada as fair as it now is in the USA then contact you’re Member of Parliament and say so.
Contact information is listed on the web page at: http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
See you at the next federal election polls O’Grady.
Victor Drummond ©
Canadians who have been legally robbed and financially devastated
due to “Income” Taxes levied on nonexistent, (phantom), income,
have been submitting comments to the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation”,
(CFET), Petition for the Canadian Government.
The First one hundred submissions are presented here with comments
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
Below are the opening lines of the CFET petition.
To the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Revenue, Members of parliament of all parties
We, the undersigned, are shocked to learn that the government is taxing people on paper income they never in reality made, a.k.a. phantom income.
Visit: www.cfet.ca to read the full text.
==============================================
The first 100 entries on the Petition Sign-on page -- with space for comment -- are as follows:
There are only 98 individual entries, in that space, as two are recognizable duplicates.
Of the 98 individual entries only 31 posted a comment.
Not one comment, however, said anything good about the taxing of phantom income.
Of the 98 individual entries 15 preferred to sign in as “Anonymous”
Why?
The best explanation for some people to remain anonymous, when signing the CFET petition, was contained in an e-mail that arrived at the CFET via the web page -- inquiry@ link -- this week.
The author of the letter explained why they supported CFET but was reluctant to actually join the group, as follows:
"I wished to remain anonymous. I suspect cra folk read these and remember.."
That is our Canada – a place where many honest, hard-working, victimized taxpayers, and their supporters, are afraid to be identified with their honest opinion for fear of being persecuted.
Do you suppose there is any justification for this concern? It has never happened to me, yet.
Ask someone who lost their home, and/or life savings, to the taxman, what they think about possible reprisals for telling it the way they see it.
What a sad state of affairs for honest, hard-working, Canadians to find themselves living with.
==============================================
The First one hundred CFET Petition Entries
(1) R.V. No comment – known victim of tax on phantom income
(2) G.L.H. No comment – Family relative of known victim.
(3) L.M.H. No comment – Family relative of known victim
(4) J.B. I lost about $60,000 in stock options – known victim
(5) S.F. No comment
(6) Anonymous The Department of Finance has been aware of the unfairness in the income tax legislation as it relates to stock options for a number of years and has not considered the negative personal financial consequences significant enough to change the legislation. Finance has allowed remission orders for several people with almost identical fact patterns to some of the individuals involved in this petition and have made little or no attempt to correct the legislative problem.
(7) K.T. This unjust and punitive legislation should never have been allowed to exist in Canada in the first place.
(8) T.B. The law must be changed! I am not involved, but I understand the unfairness and stupidity of the present law. I will be taking up the matter with my Conservative MP James Lunney to request his support for a change.
(9) P. M. No comment
(10) K.A. No comment
(11) R.K. No comment known victim
(12) B.B. No comment
(13) J.T. No comment known victim
(14) F.K. No comment
(15) R. de Z. The 'employment benefit' should only be calculated on income received, when shares are sold, not when options are exercised and no income has been realized.
(16) G.C. The tax law vis-a-vis ESOs is clearly unreasonable. It is as ridiculous as saying the capital gain on a stock investment should be based not on the actual buy & sell prices, but on the lowest and highest market prices of the stock during the time it was held--since that was the potential capital gain on the transaction. Stupid and punitive.
(17) K.H. No comment known victim
(18) T.B. No comment
(19) L.R. No comment
(20) Anonymous The ESOB/ESPP legislation is flawed. The Conservative govt recognizes this fact by its action to extend relief to a select group of Canadians. I congratulate the Conservative govt for this relief. However, the govt must now extend the same relief to all canadians impacted by the flawed legislation. The govt must act immediately to prevent any further suffering and potentially serious consequences. Taxing people on unrealized income is simply forcing canadians to make loan to the government at 0% interest rate. This is clearly unacceptable in any civilized nations, especially canada which prides itself as a just and fair society.
(21) D.R.P. The current tax legislation on ESO's is very unfair and punitive
(22) Anonymous No comment
(23) Anonymous No comment
(24) T.H. No comment
(25) L.P. No comment
(26) L.H. No comment
(27) R.I. No comment
(28) A.S. No comment
(29) A.K. No comment
(30) M.B. No comment
(31) C. This tax has destroyed many families and ruined the lives of many hard working people. The government must act immediately before more people's lives get destroyed.
(32) M.W. Back in 1999 I got the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance interested in this issue, and a letter was sent to Paul Martin (then Finance Minister). Nothing useful came of it.
(33) Anonymous No comment
(34) Anonymous I am personally affected by this flawed tax law. As the company I worked for during the boom and bust was finally de-listed last year, I am forced to declare the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of phantom employment "benefit" on this year's tax return. This is another family about to be destroyed!
(35) M.M. This legislation is a blot on the Canadian society that prides itself on compassion, justice and fair play. It also undermines the competitiveness of the Canadian high-tech industry and discourages young Canadians from taking up careers in developing new technology.
(36) P.M. No comment
(37) Anonymous I am one of the individuals affected by this legislation. I would like to see us given the same treatment as former JDS Uniphase employees in BC got last year from the Federal government while facing a similar tax situation.
(38) R.S.O. I went to work for a lesser salary and employee options. I understood that I could move to the US for a much more substantial salary. I understood that I took a risk by reducing my ability to save money for my families future. And I balanced these against an opportunity represented by my options. Neither myself nor my employer nor my accountant understood the real risk I incurred. The Canadian
government communicated the benefits of employee options very well; they were
fighting the "brain drain". However, they didn't communicate the risk at all;
thousands of Canadians now owe taxes on money they never saw.
(39) J.L. No comment
(40) G.M. Based on this surprise, I'll think twice before taking a job with stock options.
(41) M.M. No comment
(42) G.H. No comment
(43) J.H. Canadians are generally completely unaware of this unjust tax law. When made aware that debt on phantom profits is a reality in our supposed "fair country" we call Canada....the response is always "how can this be"???????
(44) G.B. As with all beefs with unfair taxes it depends on who you know in government, not whether its fair or unjust. If you'r the Bronfman family for example you get a one time exemption to shift all your profits to the USA to avoid paying the tax in Canada . Don’t try this yourself you need politicians in your pocket so to speak.. We are one of the few countries in the world where a CCR letter of advice
in not binding. So they can make it it up on the go, is that fair? NO.
(45) M.F.G. The inequity of these laws is certainly a low point for Canadian taxation. The government that has the sense of fairness to correct this injustice would do well by the voters of Canada.
(46) M.W. No comment
(47) B.M. No comment
(48) S.G. No comment
(49) Anonymous No comment
(50) M.N. No comment
(51) D.I. No comment
(52) T.B. No comment
(53) K.F. No comment
(54) A.M. No comment
(55) S. No comment
(56) Anonymous I would also like to propose to withdraw capital gain taxes as a separate class of income. All income are same that we use them for living.
(57) P.T. This is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed as it severely impacts the entrepreneurial individuals that seek to make a difference and are willing to take some risks
(58) T.P. No comment
(59) Anonymous No comment
(60) E.B. No comment
(61) D.J.B. No comment
(62) A.G. No comment
(63) D.K. No comment
(64) S.B. No comment
(65) R.D. No comment
(66) J.W. No comment
(67) F.H. No comment
(68) D.P. This is clearly ridiculous and needs to be changed by a brilliant politician
(69) D.P. No comment
(70) Anonymous No comment
(71) D.B. No comment
(72) M.H. Time for common sense to prevail. Business in Canada is tough enough as it is without additional detractors.
(73) M.B. No comment
(74) L.C. No comment
(75) D.G. No comment
(76) B.J. No comment
(77) J.D. No comment
(78) M.M. Canada already has trouble keeping talented people here because of our taxes.Taxing citizens on money they never had is definitely unfair.
(79) R.L. No comment
(80) J.B. No comment
(81) G.H. No comment
(82) J.Y. No comment
(83) D.J. No comment
(84) S.K.A. This is extremely important for many of us. This situation needs to be addressed and fixed. Thanks for taking this initiative.
(85) R.A.E. Taxing potential, theoretical income, not real income is blatantly unfair. The law must be changed before more citizens are hurt.
(86) S.K.A. This is extremely important for many of us. This situation must be addressed and fixed. I know one of my colleagues who has nervous breakdown through this situation and has been very sick. Thanks for the initiative
(87) S.K.A. Duplicate of (86) above.
(88) Anonymous Completely unfair and hence un-Canadian.
(89) A.H. The law as it stands is brutally unfair and should be amended immediately I have not personally been harmed by this unjust aberration in Canada's tax law but I do know some who have.
(90) G.M. No comment
(91) G.J. this is a very unfair tax burden
(92) P.D. No comment
(93) P.H. Taxing citizens on money that they never received is definitely unfair.
(94) Anonymous No comment
(95) C.H. No comment
(96) C.H. Duplicate of (95) above.
(97) Anonymous I support the above petition.
(98) J.K. No comment
(99) Anonymous No comment
(100) C.K. No comment
===========================================
In the above listing only the initials of the CFET petition signers have been given.
If you found the above posted comments interesting you should visit the “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation” web pages and follow the “Sign our Petition” and “Signatures” links to get an advanced reading of a planned future Victor Drummond blog titled: “FROM ONE HUNDRED TO TWO HUNDRED”.
While catching up on this topic sign the CFET petition, and post a comment, to add incentive for the Canadian Government to take corrective action.
Also planned for future Victor Drummond postings, to this blog, are a series of letters, e-mails and snail mails to various Ministers and MP’s in Canada’s Governments, past and present, and the really intelligent replies those appellants, lucky enough to get a reply, received in response.
Names and dates of the letters to be posted may be altered, or omitted, to protect the identity of the guilty.
If you would like to support the mission of CFET to achieve taxation of phantom income in Canada as fair as it now is in the USA then contact you’re Member of Parliament and say so.
Contact information is listed on the web page at: http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
See you at the next federal election polls O’Grady.
Victor Drummond ©
Sunday, March 15, 2009
STAND UP FOR..
STAND UP FOR CANADA
A commentary on the Federal Conservative Party
Pre-election 2006 Platform – Now missing a few planks.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
When the Federal Conservative Party was campaigning to be elected in the year 2006 they made great promises in “The Plan” and promoted their slogan: “Stand up for Canada”.
The implication inherent in this slogan being: If you did not vote Conservative in the 2006 federal election you were letting your country down.
For Reference visit: http://www.actionplan.gc.ca./eng/fearture.asp?featureId=18
On the reference document, page 2 is a picture of Stephen Harper superimposed on a message titled:
“The time for accountability has arrived.”
(skip to paragraph 3)
“Everyday Canadians – the hardworking people who pay their taxes and play by the rules – want and deserve a new government that will put the people’s interest ahead of self-interest. And this election provides them with a chance to tell Liberal Ottawa that they have had enough: that they are tired of being forgotten: that it’s finally their turn.”
The promise implied in this fine speech is that by voting the federal Conservative party into power the voter will be: ‘Standing up for a government that will stand up for the rights of Canadians’.
So what happened after a majority of Canadian voters “stood up” for the Conservatives and “Honourable Stephen Harper”, Member of Parliament, (MP) became: “The Right Honourable Stephen Harper” Prime Minister (PM)of Canada.
One of the first opportunities, for the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, to “Stand up for Canadians” arrived when the Honourable Gary Lunn, Conservative MP for the British Columbia riding of Saanich Gulf-Islands, requested a Tax Remission Order (TRO) to revoke unjust taxation imposed on former employees of the recently defunct SDL Optics/JDSU plant in his riding.
True to his promise The Right Honourable Stephen Harper went to bat for those abused employees and spirited a TRO through the House of Commons, had Her Excellency The Governor General for Canada sign the document resulting in the taxes on, phantom income and all related penalties, levied on those specific 44 persons, named in the TRO, revoked.
When this TRO was announced both the Honourable Gary Lunn and The Right Honourable Stephen Harper took a bow and were quoted in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper as making the following statements:- (Gary Lunn): “It is not in the best interests of the Government to tax people on money never seen,” and (Stephen Harper) is quoted as stating : the problem is incomprehensible and he promised “We’ll get it fixed.”
Perhaps it came as surprise, to The Right Honourable Prime Minister, when it was brought to his attention that while he was standing up for the rights of 44 unjustly taxed Canadians he had left thousands of other, unjustly taxed, Canadians out of the picture.
When the remaining, thousands of honest, hard-working Canadians who were also victims of the same defective taxable benefit legislation, heard how Canada’s new prime minister had stood up for the rights of those 44 SDL Optics/JDSU employees, and heard about his remark: “We’ll get it fixed” they understandably thought it would only be a very short time before their tax on phantom income would also be revoked.
Time went by without so much as a whisper from The Right Honourable Stephen Harper to suggest he had taken, or was about to take, any further steps to stand up for those who were also victims of the same defective legislation.
Was he now putting: “the people’s interest ahead of self-interest.” Or was it now the other way around?
In fact, now, a year or so later, these victims are now finding they are still burdened with the same unfair tax and adding insult to injury are discriminated against and denied equal treatment under the law.
Is this the best “fix” the Right Honourable Stephen Harper can provide when he stands up for those who stood up for him?
By the fall of 2008 the polls indicated the federal conservative party was in a favourable position to win a majority of the 308 House of Commons (HOC) seats if an election were to be held at that time.
The party spin doctors encouraged The Right Honourable Stephen Harper to call upon the Governor General to dissolve Canada’s Parliament and initiate the second federal election within a two year period.
Presumable these are the same political strategy advisors that had no more political savvy than to alienate many Canadian voters with the "poopin puffin" personal attack video against the Liberal Party Leader Stephan Dion.
Going into the October 14th 2008 election the Federal Conservative Party fully expected to win at least 155 of the HOC giving them their long sought majority in Canada’s parliament.
The election outcome wasn’t quite the success hoped for. In spite of the federal opposition parties lacking any real election platform above the vindictive slogan, “Anyone but Harper”, they still garnered enough HOC seats to deny the Conservative party the majority they sought.
Those Canadians, who still felt it worth their while to vote, elected 143 conservatives to the HOC. This was the lowest voter participation in any federal election for the past forty years. Why?
There are several good reasons why Canadians did not feel inspired to participate in the October 14th 2008 federal Election:
(1) Not one federal political party had made a commitment to improve the living conditions for the typical Canadian voter.
(2) People, myself included, were turned off by personal attack ads and “Anyone but Harper”, slogans. What kind of vendetta seeking idiots do the political party leaders think we are?
(3) The Conservative Party, and The Right Honourable Stephen Harper had failed to “Stand up for honest hard-working Canadians” and keep his promise to “fix” the phantom tax problem.
Just making a further commitment to fulfill that promise would likely have given the conservatives all the additional elected members to the HOC needed to achieve a majority government.
I have not a doubt in the world that had “The Right Honourable Stephen Harper” made even a token attempt to keep his word in this matter the chances of achieving a majority government would have been greatly improved. And had he succeeded in fixing the phantom tax problem I would have personally campaigned to get the Conservatives all the votes I could.
With thousands of voting age Canadians finally realizing fair and just taxation after eight years of financial distress and anxiety do you suppose the political party, that finally delivered fair taxation for all Canadians, would end up by forming a minority government? Not very likely.
Having barely survived the threat of a coalition government in January 2009,the federal Conservative Party is once more priming the pumps in preparation for another inevitable federal election.
This time they have generated “THE PLAN”.
Ref:- http://www.actionplan.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?featureId=18
Once again the Harper Government is listing “the tax system” as the top item to be addressed if they once again are given the opportunity to form Canada’s Government.
Let me offer the federal Conservative Party spin doctors a bit of valuable advice.
(1) Do not launch any personal attacks on any opposition party leader(s). Personal attacks are always counter productive. If you can not offer the Canadian voter real issues to vote for then save you pre-election campaign dollars.
(2) If you wish to level the playing field for all individual Canadian taxpayers then commit to correcting Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and fairly compensating those already victimized by it. The problem became evident in the year 2001 and the “fix” needs to retroactive to that year.
If the leader of the Federal Conservative Party can not “Stand up for Canadians” by keeping his word, to “fix” this problem then do not look for any of those victimized to stand up for him, or the party he leads.
The first federal political party leader who commits to correcting Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and fairly compensating those victimized by it will get my personal support and all the outside support I can muster. And that is a promise you can take to the bank.
Any reader of this blog, who wishes to see Canadian Taxpayers treated fairly, can visit web page:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
Look up the e-mail address of your MP and send him/her a message in support of “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation (CFET) Ref:- www.cfet.ca
See you at the next federal election polls O’Grady.
(See earlier blog postings for O’Grady)
Victor Drummond ©
A commentary on the Federal Conservative Party
Pre-election 2006 Platform – Now missing a few planks.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
When the Federal Conservative Party was campaigning to be elected in the year 2006 they made great promises in “The Plan” and promoted their slogan: “Stand up for Canada”.
The implication inherent in this slogan being: If you did not vote Conservative in the 2006 federal election you were letting your country down.
For Reference visit: http://www.actionplan.gc.ca./eng/fearture.asp?featureId=18
On the reference document, page 2 is a picture of Stephen Harper superimposed on a message titled:
“The time for accountability has arrived.”
(skip to paragraph 3)
“Everyday Canadians – the hardworking people who pay their taxes and play by the rules – want and deserve a new government that will put the people’s interest ahead of self-interest. And this election provides them with a chance to tell Liberal Ottawa that they have had enough: that they are tired of being forgotten: that it’s finally their turn.”
The promise implied in this fine speech is that by voting the federal Conservative party into power the voter will be: ‘Standing up for a government that will stand up for the rights of Canadians’.
So what happened after a majority of Canadian voters “stood up” for the Conservatives and “Honourable Stephen Harper”, Member of Parliament, (MP) became: “The Right Honourable Stephen Harper” Prime Minister (PM)of Canada.
One of the first opportunities, for the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, to “Stand up for Canadians” arrived when the Honourable Gary Lunn, Conservative MP for the British Columbia riding of Saanich Gulf-Islands, requested a Tax Remission Order (TRO) to revoke unjust taxation imposed on former employees of the recently defunct SDL Optics/JDSU plant in his riding.
True to his promise The Right Honourable Stephen Harper went to bat for those abused employees and spirited a TRO through the House of Commons, had Her Excellency The Governor General for Canada sign the document resulting in the taxes on, phantom income and all related penalties, levied on those specific 44 persons, named in the TRO, revoked.
When this TRO was announced both the Honourable Gary Lunn and The Right Honourable Stephen Harper took a bow and were quoted in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper as making the following statements:- (Gary Lunn): “It is not in the best interests of the Government to tax people on money never seen,” and (Stephen Harper) is quoted as stating : the problem is incomprehensible and he promised “We’ll get it fixed.”
Perhaps it came as surprise, to The Right Honourable Prime Minister, when it was brought to his attention that while he was standing up for the rights of 44 unjustly taxed Canadians he had left thousands of other, unjustly taxed, Canadians out of the picture.
When the remaining, thousands of honest, hard-working Canadians who were also victims of the same defective taxable benefit legislation, heard how Canada’s new prime minister had stood up for the rights of those 44 SDL Optics/JDSU employees, and heard about his remark: “We’ll get it fixed” they understandably thought it would only be a very short time before their tax on phantom income would also be revoked.
Time went by without so much as a whisper from The Right Honourable Stephen Harper to suggest he had taken, or was about to take, any further steps to stand up for those who were also victims of the same defective legislation.
Was he now putting: “the people’s interest ahead of self-interest.” Or was it now the other way around?
In fact, now, a year or so later, these victims are now finding they are still burdened with the same unfair tax and adding insult to injury are discriminated against and denied equal treatment under the law.
Is this the best “fix” the Right Honourable Stephen Harper can provide when he stands up for those who stood up for him?
By the fall of 2008 the polls indicated the federal conservative party was in a favourable position to win a majority of the 308 House of Commons (HOC) seats if an election were to be held at that time.
The party spin doctors encouraged The Right Honourable Stephen Harper to call upon the Governor General to dissolve Canada’s Parliament and initiate the second federal election within a two year period.
Presumable these are the same political strategy advisors that had no more political savvy than to alienate many Canadian voters with the "poopin puffin" personal attack video against the Liberal Party Leader Stephan Dion.
Going into the October 14th 2008 election the Federal Conservative Party fully expected to win at least 155 of the HOC giving them their long sought majority in Canada’s parliament.
The election outcome wasn’t quite the success hoped for. In spite of the federal opposition parties lacking any real election platform above the vindictive slogan, “Anyone but Harper”, they still garnered enough HOC seats to deny the Conservative party the majority they sought.
Those Canadians, who still felt it worth their while to vote, elected 143 conservatives to the HOC. This was the lowest voter participation in any federal election for the past forty years. Why?
There are several good reasons why Canadians did not feel inspired to participate in the October 14th 2008 federal Election:
(1) Not one federal political party had made a commitment to improve the living conditions for the typical Canadian voter.
(2) People, myself included, were turned off by personal attack ads and “Anyone but Harper”, slogans. What kind of vendetta seeking idiots do the political party leaders think we are?
(3) The Conservative Party, and The Right Honourable Stephen Harper had failed to “Stand up for honest hard-working Canadians” and keep his promise to “fix” the phantom tax problem.
Just making a further commitment to fulfill that promise would likely have given the conservatives all the additional elected members to the HOC needed to achieve a majority government.
I have not a doubt in the world that had “The Right Honourable Stephen Harper” made even a token attempt to keep his word in this matter the chances of achieving a majority government would have been greatly improved. And had he succeeded in fixing the phantom tax problem I would have personally campaigned to get the Conservatives all the votes I could.
With thousands of voting age Canadians finally realizing fair and just taxation after eight years of financial distress and anxiety do you suppose the political party, that finally delivered fair taxation for all Canadians, would end up by forming a minority government? Not very likely.
Having barely survived the threat of a coalition government in January 2009,the federal Conservative Party is once more priming the pumps in preparation for another inevitable federal election.
This time they have generated “THE PLAN”.
Ref:- http://www.actionplan.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?featureId=18
Once again the Harper Government is listing “the tax system” as the top item to be addressed if they once again are given the opportunity to form Canada’s Government.
Let me offer the federal Conservative Party spin doctors a bit of valuable advice.
(1) Do not launch any personal attacks on any opposition party leader(s). Personal attacks are always counter productive. If you can not offer the Canadian voter real issues to vote for then save you pre-election campaign dollars.
(2) If you wish to level the playing field for all individual Canadian taxpayers then commit to correcting Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and fairly compensating those already victimized by it. The problem became evident in the year 2001 and the “fix” needs to retroactive to that year.
If the leader of the Federal Conservative Party can not “Stand up for Canadians” by keeping his word, to “fix” this problem then do not look for any of those victimized to stand up for him, or the party he leads.
The first federal political party leader who commits to correcting Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and fairly compensating those victimized by it will get my personal support and all the outside support I can muster. And that is a promise you can take to the bank.
Any reader of this blog, who wishes to see Canadian Taxpayers treated fairly, can visit web page:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
Look up the e-mail address of your MP and send him/her a message in support of “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation (CFET) Ref:- www.cfet.ca
See you at the next federal election polls O’Grady.
(See earlier blog postings for O’Grady)
Victor Drummond ©
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
ECONOMICS - THREE HUNDRED..
ECONOMICS THREE HUNDRED AND SEVEN
A commentary on the 307 Members of Canada’s 40th Parliament
who fail to protect their constituents from unjust, unfair, abusive taxation.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
There are actually 308 people elected as members, (MP’s) to Canada’s 40th Parliament.
One of those 308 MP’s actually took the time to listen to the appeal of a constituent, who has been, and still is, in financial distress because of an outrageous Canadian income tax policy.
Just imagine being levied a huge tax on income money that you did not receive, e.g. “Phantom Income”. Where the tax alone can be 300 to 500 percent of your total gross income for the entire year.
Does anyone believe any government is justified in levying tax on income that never really existed?
Apparently only this one MP of the 308 elected cares one way or the other.
This one outstanding MP actually comprehends the injustice, unfairness, abusive, aspects of this Tax on phantom policy and is aware the United States government has, in the face of their horrendous economic problems, amended their equivalent tax legislation and has put an end to taxing phantom income for American taxpayers. Ref:- www.fair-iso.org and www.reformAMT.org
Furthermore this one outstanding MP took immediate action to try to protect their distressed constituent, and all Canadian victims, by writing a letter, on House of Commons letterhead, to Canada’s Minister of Finance, (MOF), “The Hon.” James Flaherty”, Informing him, in no uncertain terms, what is wrong with this abusive tax policy.
The letter, however, gives the MOF credit for knowing the appropriate corrective action to take.
If the MOF couldn’t figure out for himself that taxing people into financial ruin was unreasonable, cruel, unjust, indecent and unfair, and a policy that needed to be promptly corrected, then who could expect him to be competent to figure out the best way to correct the problem.
As the MOF himself publicly admitted, recently, “Mistakes will be made”, (in addition to the whoppers already made), it seems most likely he will make another dandy by ignoring this real MP’s letter.
His recent remark “mistakes will be made” was in relation to the doling out of billions of taxpayers dollars in an attempt to stabilize Canada’s economy and restore full employment as soon as possible.
It would be no mistake, however, to direct all the dollars needed to correct Canada’s defective “taxable benefit” legislation and fairly compensate those victimized by it.
It would be no mistake to put an end to taxing honest, hard working Canadians into financial ruin on the basis of profit that “MIGHT” have happened – but did not.
It would be no mistake to compensate every Canadian already victimized by this insidious tax on imaginary income..
The benefits that would be realized, by such honourable and decent action on the part of Canada’s government, would be threefold:-
(1) Those who had been technically robbed would have their loss restored, with interest.
(2) The money thereby restored to its rightful owners would find its way back into the economy and do more to restore consumer confidence than any other action the government could take.
(3) The Political party that implements this corrective action would restore Canada’s image, on the world stage, to being a country where citizens are treated equally and fairly, plus giving themselves a strong plank upon which to build an election platform.
The one real MP said in their letter to the MOF :-
“The cost of restoring tax fairness is not justification for continuing to rob Canadian taxpayers and undermine the credibility of Canada’s government.”. Or words to that effect.
Where do the remaining 307 people in Canada’s 40th parliament stand, on this outrageous tax policy?
Does the “Right Hon.” Prime Minister agree with it?
Do any of the federal opposition party leaders agree with it?
Do any of the remaining MP’s agree with it?
If silence is consent then they all apparently do agree.
Because:- although they have received multiple appeal messages from victims, and from the grass-roots group:- “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation”, (CFET), requesting this atrocious tax policy be corrected, not one other MP has so much as spoken out against it.
Yet I can say with 100 percent certainty:- “if any one of them were personally victimized by this insidious tax, they would find their tongues quick enough. They would lose no time in having this tax policy corrected”.
If it is not acceptable to those in authority, when they are the victims, it is not acceptable to anyone, anywhere in Canada, at any time, as it is no longer tolerated in the U.S.A.
When all is said and done:- CANADIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS AMERICANS and do not deserve to be treated as such.
The time is long past when the remaining 307 people, elected to serve and protect all Canadians, stood up for their constituents, alongside the one real MP, and demand the Canadian government do no less for Canadians, than the U.S. government has already done for their taxpayers victimized by phantom tax .
If you wish to see Canada’s economy stabilized, and full employment restored as soon as possible,
look up your Member of Parliament at:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
Contact her/him and tell them you demand Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation be amended immediately. Put an end to taxing phantom income, and those already victimized to be fairly compensated.
There is not one thing any MP could propose that would do more to reverse Canada’s sagging economy and restore credibility to Canada’s government.
You would be doing your part towards implementing the object lesson of “Economics 307”.
Visit:- www.cfet.ca Follow the “Sign our Petition Link” and “Signatures link” and sign the petition. Anonymously if you prefer. Have your say in the "Comment" panel.
Think about it.
Victor Drummond ©
A commentary on the 307 Members of Canada’s 40th Parliament
who fail to protect their constituents from unjust, unfair, abusive taxation.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
There are actually 308 people elected as members, (MP’s) to Canada’s 40th Parliament.
One of those 308 MP’s actually took the time to listen to the appeal of a constituent, who has been, and still is, in financial distress because of an outrageous Canadian income tax policy.
Just imagine being levied a huge tax on income money that you did not receive, e.g. “Phantom Income”. Where the tax alone can be 300 to 500 percent of your total gross income for the entire year.
Does anyone believe any government is justified in levying tax on income that never really existed?
Apparently only this one MP of the 308 elected cares one way or the other.
This one outstanding MP actually comprehends the injustice, unfairness, abusive, aspects of this Tax on phantom policy and is aware the United States government has, in the face of their horrendous economic problems, amended their equivalent tax legislation and has put an end to taxing phantom income for American taxpayers. Ref:- www.fair-iso.org and www.reformAMT.org
Furthermore this one outstanding MP took immediate action to try to protect their distressed constituent, and all Canadian victims, by writing a letter, on House of Commons letterhead, to Canada’s Minister of Finance, (MOF), “The Hon.” James Flaherty”, Informing him, in no uncertain terms, what is wrong with this abusive tax policy.
The letter, however, gives the MOF credit for knowing the appropriate corrective action to take.
If the MOF couldn’t figure out for himself that taxing people into financial ruin was unreasonable, cruel, unjust, indecent and unfair, and a policy that needed to be promptly corrected, then who could expect him to be competent to figure out the best way to correct the problem.
As the MOF himself publicly admitted, recently, “Mistakes will be made”, (in addition to the whoppers already made), it seems most likely he will make another dandy by ignoring this real MP’s letter.
His recent remark “mistakes will be made” was in relation to the doling out of billions of taxpayers dollars in an attempt to stabilize Canada’s economy and restore full employment as soon as possible.
It would be no mistake, however, to direct all the dollars needed to correct Canada’s defective “taxable benefit” legislation and fairly compensate those victimized by it.
It would be no mistake to put an end to taxing honest, hard working Canadians into financial ruin on the basis of profit that “MIGHT” have happened – but did not.
It would be no mistake to compensate every Canadian already victimized by this insidious tax on imaginary income..
The benefits that would be realized, by such honourable and decent action on the part of Canada’s government, would be threefold:-
(1) Those who had been technically robbed would have their loss restored, with interest.
(2) The money thereby restored to its rightful owners would find its way back into the economy and do more to restore consumer confidence than any other action the government could take.
(3) The Political party that implements this corrective action would restore Canada’s image, on the world stage, to being a country where citizens are treated equally and fairly, plus giving themselves a strong plank upon which to build an election platform.
The one real MP said in their letter to the MOF :-
“The cost of restoring tax fairness is not justification for continuing to rob Canadian taxpayers and undermine the credibility of Canada’s government.”. Or words to that effect.
Where do the remaining 307 people in Canada’s 40th parliament stand, on this outrageous tax policy?
Does the “Right Hon.” Prime Minister agree with it?
Do any of the federal opposition party leaders agree with it?
Do any of the remaining MP’s agree with it?
If silence is consent then they all apparently do agree.
Because:- although they have received multiple appeal messages from victims, and from the grass-roots group:- “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation”, (CFET), requesting this atrocious tax policy be corrected, not one other MP has so much as spoken out against it.
Yet I can say with 100 percent certainty:- “if any one of them were personally victimized by this insidious tax, they would find their tongues quick enough. They would lose no time in having this tax policy corrected”.
If it is not acceptable to those in authority, when they are the victims, it is not acceptable to anyone, anywhere in Canada, at any time, as it is no longer tolerated in the U.S.A.
When all is said and done:- CANADIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS AMERICANS and do not deserve to be treated as such.
The time is long past when the remaining 307 people, elected to serve and protect all Canadians, stood up for their constituents, alongside the one real MP, and demand the Canadian government do no less for Canadians, than the U.S. government has already done for their taxpayers victimized by phantom tax .
If you wish to see Canada’s economy stabilized, and full employment restored as soon as possible,
look up your Member of Parliament at:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
Contact her/him and tell them you demand Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation be amended immediately. Put an end to taxing phantom income, and those already victimized to be fairly compensated.
There is not one thing any MP could propose that would do more to reverse Canada’s sagging economy and restore credibility to Canada’s government.
You would be doing your part towards implementing the object lesson of “Economics 307”.
Visit:- www.cfet.ca Follow the “Sign our Petition Link” and “Signatures link” and sign the petition. Anonymously if you prefer. Have your say in the "Comment" panel.
Think about it.
Victor Drummond ©
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
ONE IN THREE HUNDRED...
ONE IN THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT
There are 308 People elected to Canada’s 40th Parliament
But Only 1 that truly represents the Canadians that elected them.
A commentary on the Canadian Governments
on-going taxation of phantom income.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
How many honest, hard working Canadians believe it is fair and proper for our government to levy taxes on money the taxpayer might have received but did not?
Put another way:- Would you agree to pay the government $100,000 real money on the $750,000 you might have received but didn’t?
My money says not one sane person in a million, with at least the I.Q. of a 5th grader, would support that kind of extortion.
And that bet includes every person holding positions in Canada’s government, past and present, Ministers of Finance and all.
Yet that is exactly what taxing phantom income is imposing upon many honest, hard working Canadians. And our elected representatives in the House of Commons are allowing it.
From the total number of people elected to Canada’s 40th Parliament there is only one Member, (M.P.) who took the time to investigate the devastating impact this outrageous tax policy has imposed on its victims and has taken any kind of action to have this tax atrocity corrected.
One in Three Hundred and Eight works out to:- 100 – (1/308x100) = 99.675 percent of those elected, to represent all Canadians, are willing to keep silent and live with this abuse of their constituents. Including our elected Prime Ministers past and present.
All 307 of these insensitive seat warmers are drawing above average pay checks and above average fringe benefits, at taxpayers expense, yet are content to sit on their abundantly padded seats and allow many of those very Canadians, who voted for them, to be robbed blind.
Is that the kind of representation you want from those you vote for? Think about it.
Read what the one real, elected representative, M.P. said to James Flaherty, Canada’s Minister of Finance, in the letter partially quoted in my previous posting:-
“IS TAX FAIRNESS FINALLY COMING FOR CANADIANS” March 1 2009
Do you think the Hon. Mr. Flaherty will listen and act on that message? Don’t bet on it.
Every Canadian, of voting age, should contact their M.P. and demand the taxing of phantom income be stopped at once, and those already victimized be fairly compensated.
That is the kind of representation every Canadian deserves and I would be the first person to support the M.P. that wrote that letter, if they ever ran for the office of Canada’s Prime Minister.
Money restored to its rightful owners would find its way back into Canada’s economy and do more to restore consumer confidence, and the reputation of Canada’s government, than twice the number of dollars applied in any other way.
Visit:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
to obtain the E-mail address of your Member of Canada's 40th Parliament.
Victor Drummond ©
There are 308 People elected to Canada’s 40th Parliament
But Only 1 that truly represents the Canadians that elected them.
A commentary on the Canadian Governments
on-going taxation of phantom income.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
How many honest, hard working Canadians believe it is fair and proper for our government to levy taxes on money the taxpayer might have received but did not?
Put another way:- Would you agree to pay the government $100,000 real money on the $750,000 you might have received but didn’t?
My money says not one sane person in a million, with at least the I.Q. of a 5th grader, would support that kind of extortion.
And that bet includes every person holding positions in Canada’s government, past and present, Ministers of Finance and all.
Yet that is exactly what taxing phantom income is imposing upon many honest, hard working Canadians. And our elected representatives in the House of Commons are allowing it.
From the total number of people elected to Canada’s 40th Parliament there is only one Member, (M.P.) who took the time to investigate the devastating impact this outrageous tax policy has imposed on its victims and has taken any kind of action to have this tax atrocity corrected.
One in Three Hundred and Eight works out to:- 100 – (1/308x100) = 99.675 percent of those elected, to represent all Canadians, are willing to keep silent and live with this abuse of their constituents. Including our elected Prime Ministers past and present.
All 307 of these insensitive seat warmers are drawing above average pay checks and above average fringe benefits, at taxpayers expense, yet are content to sit on their abundantly padded seats and allow many of those very Canadians, who voted for them, to be robbed blind.
Is that the kind of representation you want from those you vote for? Think about it.
Read what the one real, elected representative, M.P. said to James Flaherty, Canada’s Minister of Finance, in the letter partially quoted in my previous posting:-
“IS TAX FAIRNESS FINALLY COMING FOR CANADIANS” March 1 2009
Do you think the Hon. Mr. Flaherty will listen and act on that message? Don’t bet on it.
Every Canadian, of voting age, should contact their M.P. and demand the taxing of phantom income be stopped at once, and those already victimized be fairly compensated.
That is the kind of representation every Canadian deserves and I would be the first person to support the M.P. that wrote that letter, if they ever ran for the office of Canada’s Prime Minister.
Money restored to its rightful owners would find its way back into Canada’s economy and do more to restore consumer confidence, and the reputation of Canada’s government, than twice the number of dollars applied in any other way.
Visit:- http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html
to obtain the E-mail address of your Member of Canada's 40th Parliament.
Victor Drummond ©
Sunday, March 1, 2009
IS TAX FAIRNESS FINALLY..
IS TAX FAIRNESS FINALLY COMING FOR CANADIANS?
At least one Member of Canada’s 40th Parliament has what it takes.
A commentary on a recent letter sent to The Hon James Flaherty,
Canada’s Minister of Finance by a sitting Member of Parliament.
By Victor Drummond ©
March 2009
When the Conservative Party was elected to become Canada’s Government, in 2006, I cheered in the false belief that finally now, after a decade long series of unscrupulous, political shenanigans would come to and end.
Furthermore when Member of Parliament, for the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Gary Lunn announced he had succeeded in having, outstanding income taxes, levied on income that never came in, (phantom income), and related penalties revoked I was sure all Canadians were only a few steps away from being taxed fairly.
What a joke.
The “Tax Remission Order”, (TRO), signed by G. Lunn, S.Harper and M. Jean merely added to the unfairness of the whole boondoggle. Some 44 former employee’s of the defunct SDL Optics/JDSU corporation in Saanich were the only victims to benefit from the TRO leaving thousands of similar victims with no tax relief.
In spite of the high sounding rhetoric, then spouted by the newly elected Prime Minister Harper, MP, Gary Lunn, and Minister of Finance James R. Flaherty, tax fairness was still denied to the remaining large majority of Canadians victimized by that same defective income tax legislation.
During the year 2007 fine speeches were made by Stephen Harper and James Flaherty telling Canadians that action was being taken to create and fill new Tax Ombudsman position in the Federal Government and new procedures for submitting appeals for a new Tax assessment were being implemented.
The Tax Ombudsman was put in place with the power to admonish agents of the Canada Revenue Agency if they failed to talk politely to taxpayers when telling them to pay up or else. (Another joke to be sure).
While the Canada’s defective taxable legislation, and equally outrageous application of same, produced victimized taxpayers en masse the system of redress was designed to handle one-at-a-time appellants. This guaranteed only a very small minority of victims would ever receive fair treatment by having their tax on phantom income and/or related penalties revoked. A very self-serving system of redress to be sure.
In spite of newspaper articles condemning Canada’s phantom tax policy e.g. “What about the rest of us?” National Newspaper Financial, and “Change the law don’t just mask the problem”, Vancouver Sun: Canada’s government has totally ignored this atrocity.
And in spite of the U.S.A. government amending their similarly defective “Alternative Minimum Tax”, (AMT), legislation in October 2008, Canada’s government and all Federal Political Party Leaders, and Members of Canada’s Parliament, have turned blind eyes and deaf ears to every appeal to have this outrageous legislation rectified.
Until now only one person elected to Canada’s Parliament has addressed such abuse of their constituents, has spoken out in defence of their abused constituents and made an attempt to obtain fair treatment for them i.e. The Hon, Gary Lunn, MP for the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands B.C.
Unfortunately his efforts were severely compromised by the way his effort to obtain fair taxation for all Canadians was mismanaged actually making the overall abuse even worse.
In February 2009 another Member of Canada’s 40th Parliament responded to the appeal of a victimized constituent and took the time to meet with him and obtain details of his distress.
This outstanding MP has demonstrated several other qualities that have been very obscure regarding every other person elected to Canada’s Parliament in the past eight years. e.g Intelligenge, Comprehension, Fairness, Justice, Compassion, Decency and above all the Moxie to take action when an constituent has been treated outrageously, regardless of the risk of personal consequences.
Action which may bring criticism and/or retribution from their fellow MP’s and possibly party leader.
Here is what this genuine elected representative of the people did:-
This Member of Parliament wrote a letter, on House of Commons Letterhead, addressed to the Hon, James Flaherty, Minister of Finance which contained, among other things, the following detail and call to action:-
“I am writing to you today to urge that you immediately move to correct that section of the Income Tax act dealing with the Deferral of the Tax on Stock options which can and does result in taxpayers being liable for huge amounts of tax on income they never received. Irrespective of the original intent of the legislation it is now obvious that what is happening was never intended and has resulted in a trap that the uninformed all too readily fall into. Government has a duty to protect its citizens from such perils.”
And:-
“You are no doubt aware of the issue, indeed just over two years ago MP Gary Lunn succeeded in obtaining a remission order for a number of employees of JDS-Uniphase who were in a similar situation. At that time he was quoted in the Vancouver Sun as saying "It's not in the interest of government to tax people on money they never saw." further the Prime Minister is quoted by the Times Colonist as saying that the problem was incomprehensible and promised: "We'll get it resolved."
“My constituent and I are left wondering why, in this Canada where equality is enshrined in our constitution, some people are “more equal” than others and why the problem has indeed not been resolved. This is an inequity that should immediately be corrected.”
And:-
“Minister Flaherty, I am seriously concerned that we have innocent Canadians and their families, who have worked diligently all their lives, now being effectively robbed (by an unintended “quirk” of the tax law) of their life savings, their homes and their right to the comfortable retirement they have laboured long and hard for. Many of these, my constituent among them, have now lived for nearly nine years under this unimaginable stress, made worse by the fact that it seems they are helpless to do anything about it.
Canada now appears to be alone amongst the major economies in applying the law in this fashion. Indeed in the USA, until October of last year the law was the similar but, (apparently after 2 suicides), Congress passed an amendment that comprehensively provides relief for tens of thousands of workers suffering from the unintended tax burdens, restores the incentives put in place for starting and growing new businesses, and returns to employees and their families the taxes on income never received.
The incentive to start, grow and support Canadian businesses was surely the intent of this law, but we seem to have gone astray as we now have a situation where some Canadians pay the tax and some do not and Canadian workers are liable for horrendous taxes compared to co-workers in the same company who are US based. ”
And:-
“We should not do this to our citizens and, irrespective of cost, I feel there can be no price placed on the health, happiness and equality of our citizens. The tax system is designed to share real wealth and it is wrong to use it in such a fashion, wrong to tax on income not received, wrong to play favourites and tax some and not others, and it would most certainly be wrong to justify continuance of this inequity by saying it will cost too much to correct. The moral cost to Canada of not correcting it would be much much higher.”
“Minister Flaherty, let us not be partisan on this issue rather, in a true spirit of cooperation amongst all parties, let us move swiftly to correct it.
I am sure there are a number of solutions possible and confidently leave it to you to choose that which is most appropriate. I look forward to a quick and positive resolution as surely these people have suffered enough?”
“Respectfully submitted,”
(MP’s Name Withheld)
Will this display of comprehension, decency, and righteous outrage catch on in Canada’s Parliament? It should if they deserve to be our government.
Will some member of the House of Commons rise to introduce a bill to amend Canada’s defective “taxable benefit legislation” and fairly compensate those victimized by it, as the Americans’ have done for their victims of their flawed AMT legislation?
If the U.S. Government can take such corrective action, while fighting their economic situation, there is absolutely no reason why Canada can not do as well, or better, for our Citizens.
After all what better way can depression fighting dollars be applied than to restore money to grass-roots Canadians who it rightfully belongs to.
Believe me Mr. Flaherty doing that would be no mistake.
Think About it. Would your MP. fight for your rights?
Victor Drummond ©
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