Pure dumb luck genius

Not much has been said about the pure dumb luck "genius" of PM Harper's decision to select May 2 as election day. 

I already noted in a previous entry that for most college and university students May 2 will be their first day of work at their summer jobs, and therefore this should make them less likely to go out and vote (they may be living away from where they are registered, or more likely just the normal fatigue from a day of hard work will probably be enough to make most of these typically not Tory voting young people stay home).

But, the genius does not end there. Think what major Canadian event happens just 2 days before election day. That's right, April 30th is the day by which your taxes need to be filed, and most people do leave it to the last minute. So think of what is going through most people's heads just a few days before the election.

Thank you PM Harper:
- for my tax credit for Jimmy's hockey and baseball
- for my tax credit for Mary's school bus pass
- for not making me pay tax on the 0.25% interest I made in my TSFA account
- for my parents being able to income split my Dad's pension

and thank you for the tax credits yet to come
- an adult fitness credit
- doubling the child fitness tax credit 
- child arts tax credit
- higher tsfa deductions
- a family care giver tax credit
- family tax cut
- more income splitting
- planting a tree tax credit 
- driving education tax credit
- feeding the birds tax credit
- shoveling your own sidewalk tax credit
- take your kids to the zoo tax credit
- holiday tax credit
- sunscreen tax credit
- work clothes tax credit
- TGIF tax credit
- an apple a day tax credit
-.......


There you have it. Tax cut after tax cut after tax cut. Who can not love that ... and a perfect reminder to all income earning Canadians (talk about free advertising) just 2 days before the election.

Clearly just about every Canadian will be getting a tax credit (or six) for something, and if they are not, you can be assured that PM Harper will find a way to make sure they will get one soon. Absolutely no idea is too "out there" if a tax cut is involved.

Of course you will hear some of those tax and spend types complaining that all this does is complicate the tax system (of course it does) and that with all the receipts people will have to keep, especially as most now e-file, it is going against the trend to simplicity (of course it is). Others point out that it would be far more efficient just to reduce overall tax rates (of course it would).  So what? If bribing giving each Canadian their own little personal feel good tax deduction helps win elections, what is not to like?

Then there are those bothersome deficit hawks that want to do more than just talk about how they will reduce the deficit. These spoil sports actually point out that all these tax cuts will make it much much harder to eventually balance the budget. Yeah, so what? The point is to win elections not balance budgets, haven't you been paying attention?

It is important to remember my fellow sheeple that in the end all these tax cuts, no matter how much they cost, will not impact on our cuts to health care or to other programs. Receiving tax credits, no matter how small, how useless, how ridiculous or how economically distorting is a basic Canadian right. Remember too that we are Tories. We only cut taxes, not spending. And ... that always reduces the budget deficit, trust us.






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