Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Chopping Women's Programs and Corporate Taxes

Last week Antigone Magazine had a post about Canada's Tom Flanagan, Steve Harper's closest advisor, via Rabble, about the Conservative Government's agenda for funding to women's programs. Flanagan said:

Flanagan calls funding cuts to Status of Women Canada and the elimination of the
Court challenges Program a “nice step,” asserting without equivocation that
Conservatives will "defund” all equality-seeking groups – with feminists at the
top of the list. He goes further, clarifying that Conservatives also plan to
choke-off these groups’ supposedly privileged access to government by, for
example, denying “meetings with ministers.” But for strategic reasons, Flanagan
notes, this will all happen incrementally. To avoid the perception of
mean-spirited retribution, he says, “incrementalism is the way to go.”

I guess the same strategy is used in reverse when it comes to corporate taxes. Yesterday the Conservative Government unveiled its plan to increase personal tax rate on the lowest income bracket to 15.5%. This comes after it was (applause) decreased by a percentage point from 16% in 2005. The lowest income families in Canada will pay more and the rich will pay less. GST will be lowered t 5% (bad idea). Corporate taxes are being cut by $14.1 billion creating a "a very attractive tax environment to retain and attract business investment" [source]. Business business business. Yesterday's announcement will certainly offset the pathetic oil royalty increase that that sector is whining about. Once again, our government favours the rich and powerful and takes a shit on the working class, infrastrucutre, health care, and public social services.

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