Uncategorized

About those no good taxes

Adam Radwanski sees anarchy in the PM.

Perhaps Harper was oversimplifying; maybe he didn’t fully think through what he was saying. But this is the prime minister of the country, not some guy who’s had one too many drinks at a cocktail party and begun railing against the evils of government. So it seems to me we’re obliged to consider the fact that the person running the country, by his own account, thinks all taxes are bad.

If taken to its logical conclusion, that would also mean that all government spending is bad. Not just equalization and grants and other things that Harper would have taken offence to back in his National Citizens Coalition days. We’re also talking about defence, and law enforcement, and any public infrastructure whatsoever – stuff that even the most libertarian members of Harper’s party would concede that we need.

More from Jeffrey Simpson, Terence Corcoran, Fazil Mihlar, Doug Bell and Lana Payne.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.