Liberal tax changes just take us back to 2006
Published Friday July 3rd, 2009
Well, Happy Canada Day everyone. It's Wednesday as I write this and I'm pleased to be spending the day with my daughter. It's only her second Canada Day so she still doesn't fully understand what it's all about. That puts her into the same category as a lot of Canadians, unfortunately.
For her, Canada Day is a day of fun and play. Let's face it, we all deserve a holiday.
For me it's an education. I understand that my knowledge of the Backyardigans is inadequate and my Sesame Street mojo is 25 years out of date.
Earlier today, my sister-in-law took my daughter to go visit with Nanna for a few hours. It gave me just enough time for a long, meandering walk across the downtown area.
I tried to think about what it means to be a Canadian. This is a great country filled with opportunity for those who want it. I was remarking the other day to a friend of mine who I sometimes invest with that my greatest challenge seems to be sifting through opportunities to determine which ones I want to go after.
With a positive attitude and an open mind, this country lets us go after our dreams.
Some people in the world have to worry about what they're going to eat today and they really don't have the chance to make their circumstances better.
I have a friend who built up quite a good personal net-worth in real estate and then bought a business. The business failed miserably and lead to his bankruptcy. Undeterred, he learned how to purchase property without using banks so that his poor credit score would no longer be a handicap. He's now doing property deals all over New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (which are more lucrative as they don't have the stupid double tax of non-owner occupied properties.) He's also managing someone else's business as he manoeuvres to own his own again someday.
Most people would have chosen a lifelong depression over seeking new and different opportunities. Imagine how successful he'll be once he's allowed back inside a bank in a few years time.
I guess the saddest thing I ever encounter when I go out for a walk is people who are trapped by their own negativity.
They feel somehow that there is a plot to keep them down. They just won't see the opportunities that are right there in front of them. Oh well, I guess it is a free country. Feel sad if you will.
Canada Day was also the first day that we enjoyed a pre-Liberal rate of income tax. Bruce Fitch, a Conservative MLA, was quoted on the news yesterday as stating that the Liberals have just returned us to the tax levels that the former Conservative government had created. He went on to say that this latest move was just a way to garner more votes.
I think it's more than that. I think the Liberals are actually starting to learn a little bit about economics and how to govern. If they just wanted some votes, they would add another statutory holiday to the calendar.
Maybe a holiday in February to help break up the winter. Maybe another day in the summer that we can all enjoy.
Maybe election day so they've got a chance at re-election. If everyone is at the cottage, the people won't show up to vote them out of office.
n Dave Barnett is a Moncton area Real Estate Investor, Business Finance Consultant, Sunbelt Business Broker and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. His column appears in this space every second Friday.
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And there is no need to create that holiday on election day. The actions of the Liberals have made more citizens than ever realize there can be a huge difference between a party's platform before and after an election. Many of these betrayed loyal voters have been shaken to the core.
The PC Party is not carrying as much bad baggage but they too have not such a splendid record. Like the Liberal's they have lost the imagination of voters although they did have the 'majority' of votes provincally in the 2006 election but that didn't translate into seats.
A credible third party (not NDP) will take take a few years to gain the trust of voters so in the interim this province will suffer. Voting for 3rd party will only water down our choices in some cases allow a non-deserving candidate to gain the seat. Is this what we want?
NB cannot continue as it is! The sooner politicans realize voters are fed up with the current 2 parties, the better off we will be. Re-electing Shawn Graham's Liberals would be stupid.