Thursday, June 26, 2008
No pain, no gain?
A lot of people are trying to determine who the winners and losers will be if Dion's tax shift plan ever gets implemented. However, I think they're missing the bigger picture.
In other words, when a plan so fundamentally tries to alter the tax system and the economy, the question you should be asking is this: Will we all win or all lose in the end?
Personally — and I'm by no means an economic expert — I can't see how a sudden and dramatic tax shift won't come without pain. It seems to have been the case in other jurisdictions that have tried it.
Will it result in long-term gain? I don't think that's for certain. Will it come with short-term pain? Almost certainly. How can it not?
And you can be sure that that's part of how Harper will address this plan — when it's finally time to really debate this thing.
Although I'm certain that the final assault on Dion's signature policy will go far deeper and address the real motivation behind this plan: a lack of leadership. After all, that's what this plan has been all about — to save Dion's otherwise hapless tenure as leader.
