To the Editor,
Just who or what are the Taxpayers Federation?
I’ve asked this one before and I wasn’t the only one! Stephen Hume asked the same question when he was writing in the Vancouver Sun. Hume also took on the Fraser Institute. It is no wonder that Stephen Hume no longer writes for Postmedia.
However, back to the Taxpayers Federation, who or what is it?
Well, it has six or seven directors and a post box address in London, Ont. Other than that, it’s a shadowy organization with no accountability to Canadians and no democracy (unless, of course, they are fantastically rich). They don’t represent the average taxpayer in any way, shape or form!
And, the Taxpayers Federation pays no taxes, imagine that! Like those other “fabulous free-loaders,” the Fraser Institute, Frontier, Macdonald-Laurier, CD Howe all have tax-free charitable status.
Now here’s a suggestion: Since this COVID-19 thing is something of a war, shouldn’t we all be in it together? Shouldn’t the Taxpayers Federation, along with the rest, pay some taxes?
This wouldn’t make up for the years of sponging off the taxpayer, but it would be a good start.
Stephen Harper tried to tackle this tax-free status thing, but he went after such organizations as David Suzuki, the Council of Canadians and the Kingston Birdwatchers.
There was never any attempt at reigning in the Taxpayer Federation/ Fraser Institute crowd on cancelling their tax-free status?
Harper and Jason Kenney are said to have gotten a leg up through the Taxpayers Federation. I still remember when the Harper government shut down the Kitsilano Coast Guard and Comox radio. Forget about the fishermen, tugboaters and the George Strait-Salish Sea.
Harper had his priorities and so does Kriss Simms, anything that stands in the way of tax cuts for the needy wealthy is a no-no!
Considering the other methods such as Ten Lost Years austerity during the 30s and other methods that have been used - remember the great Wall Street 2007-08 bailout, buying themselves big bonuses - perhaps “spending like there’s no tomorrow” is the best way to go?
Dennis Peacock,
Clearwater, B.C.