Anna Tsui

Bio: Credit Adjudication, 33 year old female

Essay: Lower taxes in Toronto means more financial choice for all Torontonians. Being able to choose is an essential part of our democratic freedom. We can choose to save it for a rainy day, or we can choose to spend it on our families, on ourselves, or on various charities. We can spend it on either needs or wants. Even with all the choices, the vast majority of us will spend our extra dollars in Toronto which will boost the overall economy. More revenue for businesses translates to more jobs, which means lower unemployment. Lower unemployment has a positive ripple effect throughout communities. It results in happier people because they can take care of themselves and their loved ones. As a result, there is less crime on the street and less impoverished children. Businesses that pay less tax can also thrive and expand. In addition to existing business paying less taxes, more businesses will be created because there will be more motivation from potential profits. Business will be drawn to the city and more people will be drawn into the city for goods and services. As adults, we are faced with balancing the money we earn, with the money that we spend. When we manage our own budgets, we scrutinize everything. We know that we have many financial responsibilities. When our tax dollars go to the government, the financial responsibilities as a municipal government are too difficult to define and agree upon. There is too much money for a small number of people to oversee and manage effectively. As a result, everyone has spending ideas that are indistinguishable from wants and needs. Everyone is good intentioned but everyone is trying to spend some of the money from the big pool of tax dollars. No one is held accountable or responsible for the overall budget. How can we scrutinize such a large amount of money without some of it going to waste under our noses? If the city does not pay their bills, does any 1 person have their credit rating effected? D oes any 1 person get hassled by the collection agencies? Even for the mayor, although he is in charge of the city, his responsibility is only temporary based on his term. Do political figures listen to their constituents or do they listen to the city accountants? The government is pulled in so many ways by needs and wants. By paying less taxes, we can spread the money amongst financially responsible tax payers and spread out that responsibility to make our individual lives better. We can directly take away some of the burden from the government and reduce their mandate and spending wish list.

Jason McNeill

Bio: Social liberal, fiscal conservative. Born and raised in Toronto. Attended the University of Western Ont. as well as York U in the Kinesiology program and spent three years in the Yeomen football program. I am an artist and a business owner who also works full time to make ends meet.

Essay: Lower taxes are good for Toronto because they allow the middle class to grow and expand its influence in the economy and beyond. Disposable income is more than simply an indicator of affluence. It is the fuel for our economic engine. In Toronto, this fuel has been drained steadily for several years. The recent repeal of the Vehicle registration tax has put 64 million dollars back in the pockets of middle class Torontonians. Some would have us believe this has created an insurmountable hole in city coffers. However, this is 64 million dollars now spent on dinners and movies… at malls and event venues… this creates jobs where consumers want them. It’s simple supply and demand. Government receives taxes, pools them, and then allocates monies. This removes the demand side of the equation as we have no direct say in how money is divided. Concerned for the poor? One ideology would have me lobby the government and demand more money go to the poor. If one was truly concerned for the well being of poor folks, it would serve ones interest to lower tax burdens, free up disposable income and donate money to the poor. There’s nothing gained by handing one’s money to government then fighting about its allocation? Yet this is the argument made those who would increase taxes. What about revenue? Higher taxes equal higher revenue, right? Wrong. To properly, sustainably grow revenue you must grow the tax payer base. Have more people contribute, not have people contribute more. This brings us to the idea of a “fair share”. What is a fair share? Well, given that large scale purchases of goods and services are cheaper than market rate, and given that government is a non profit entity, one could conclude a fair share would be as little as possible from each of us. Government’s role is to reduce, not increase cost. Low tax rates equate to higher disposable income and increased spending. Demand for jobs follows, which increases the tax payer base. This means more revenue and less stress on individuals. Finally, lower taxes are good because it affects attitude. Rather than dictate where monies will go, politicians should convince us where monies should go. Too often governments seek the quick fix, adding revenue streams or raising taxes. This does nothing to address the problem of sustainability. The burden on the middle class grows, disposable income shrinks, perceptions change. Now, the middle class feels poor but is viewed as rich. Further, it does not benefit one group to become reliant on another. Perpetually funding artists only helps if attaining funding is the goal, not if the goal is to become self sufficient and develop an arts career. Government funding creates a façade of success where no revenue is actually generated. Thus, actual success need not be a concern. One thing is certain: we all know where we want our money to go. Being allowed to put it there is what democracy really is.

Elizabeth Millican

Bio: Author and youth mentor who is trying to create change and accountability in the government.

Essay: Lower taxes would be good for Toronto because it would mean that housing costs would go down and people would have an easier time paying their bills. Lower taxes would also mean that the government would have to work together and prioritize. Programs that do not need to be run by the government could be run by charities and tax payers could enjoy tax credit for their contributions instead of their taxes going towards charities that they may not support, as we found out from the council meeting, there are a lot of organizations that are supported by our taxes. Lower taxes means the government would have to focus on things that only the government can accomplish and communities would have to come together to accomplish goals that they share in common. Instead of the government being involved in everything we would build our communities by getting people involved with issues that they are passionate about. Instead of being isolated in a city of 2.5 million, we would get to know our neighbours and develop deeper bonds. We have already seen communities rally together over the possibility of closing just one library. This is the type of community that is needed in a big city like Toronto. I am not saying that the government should cut funding to everything, but there are certain things that are better supported by community involvement and demand. If our artists weren’t funded by the government they would get more people involved in their efforts and get more people passionate about the arts, or they’d realize that their artistic style may not be right for their community. All these things would create personal growth and community bonds instead of the on demand entitlement culture we have today. My generation has lost the desire to work to accomplish their goals. Working helps people prioritize their time and finances, when the government hands out money to organizations that don’t need it then it loses its connection between the people and providers. I think many people were shocked to find out the number of organizations that are largely funded by our tax dollars. There are many out spoken people who fought for their funding, while the average person sat at home thinking, “What makes you entitled to my tax dollars.” Lowering taxes means that people have to think about which services are a priority for them. If taxes are lower, people should have no problem passing on their contribution of savings to the services they want to support. We know this isn’t about that because people already have that option, but they’d rather ask someone who doesn’t use the service to pay for it. People need to realize that if they want something then they have to pay for it one way or another. I think it’s unfair to ask someone to pay for something that you don’t really need when you can pay for it yourself. The government needs to help the truly needy, not the lazy.

Carol Tam

Bio: Carol is a political junkie who lives downtown, enjoys biking, and visits her local library in her spare time. She still believes that lower taxes are good for Toronto.

Essay: There are innumerable reasons why lower taxes are good for Toronto, but they mostly fall in one of three categories: personal, business, and for the economy as a whole. Personal reasons are the most selfish, but easiest to understand, as they affect each and every one of us directly. Simply put, lower taxes puts more money in your pocket. As a consumer, this allows you to go out and spend money the way you want, be it splurging on a new toy, saving it for education or retirement, or donating it to your favourite charity. More money to spend means you can support causes that you believe in. You can donate the money to a homeless shelter. You can use the extra money to retrofit a home to be more energy efficient. People often associate tax cuts as benefiting the wealthy, but this is untrue. Lower taxes benefit everyone, especially those with lower income, as they are the ones who benefit the most from every extra dollar in their pocket, using it to purchase necessities for their families. Lower taxes also benefit businesses, especially small independent ones. Local business build a community, create a neighborhood that attract visitors, yet they are the ones most susceptible to increased costs. An increase in tax can mean the difference between staying in business, or closing down and moving to a more tax-friendly municipality. When a business moves, the jobs disappear along with it. The community is left with a void, as fewer people visit the area, causing other businesses to close. The final reason why lower taxes are good is one for the economy at large. This is perhaps the hardest to understand, as we draw on some elementary economic principles. When taxes are imposed on an economy, the tax revenue collected by the government is generally less than the economic loss suffered by the society (consumers and producers) as a whole. This is known as a deadweight loss due to the excess burden of taxation. Or in more laymen terms, potential economic gains that never materializes, for anyone – consumers, businesses nor government. There is an old saying that the only things certain in life are death and taxes. Taxes are inevitable, and an integral part of a functioning society. We all need roads, police, and fire protection. Parks and libraries are great too. However, in a world of limited resources, our tax dollars need to be spent prudently. With a careful balance of taxes and spending, Toronto can truly be a world-class city: one that tourists want to visit, businesses want to operate in, and one that we are proud to call home.