There has been some talk about a Health Care Levy in Alberta, given our economic problems. Makes sense, right? Government isn't making money on royalties anymore, so they need to find another revenue source. They don't want to alienate corporations, so that's less of an option.
This Levy is the Province's recognition that the oil market is hurting. Our corporations are having trouble selling their oil at profitable prices, and as a result, they are laying off the people that produced the oil for them to sell. The people that are getting laid off have no money to spend, so every other industry is also hurting and making cuts.
While everyone's profits are down, people are losing their jobs, and small businesses are scrambling to keep their heads above water, the government is the only organization that can simply decide what its revenue is going to be. Therefore, it will.
An income tax increase isn't going to help very much, because everyone hates hearing about tax increases. Besides, when everyone's income is down, increasing the proportion of taxes won't make enough of a difference. There must be a better idea. There must be a way to increase the revenue stream by a greater margin, and without calling it a tax. We can't bring back Health Care Premiums, because we went through a lot of effort eliminating them, and Albertans were very happy with that. What to do?
The answer is a Health Care Levy. It's not a tax, and it's not a premium, so we're covered there. Also, everyone has to pay it, whether they have a job or not. It's genius! This is a way that we can forcibly collect money from all Albertans, regardless of whether or not this economy is hurting them.
Okay, I'm being a little facetious, but I'm not a fan of what I'm seeing. I can't afford for the government to be taking more money from me, and I doubt I'm the only one who feels that way. We may as well call this a Poor Tax, or an Economic Problem Levy.
No comments:
Post a Comment