Isn’t this wonderful news?

OTTAWA (CP) - Minor tax changes in 2005 will save most Canadians perhaps enough money to toast the federal government with a small cappuccino each month.

After 7 straight budget surpluses, accomplished on the backs of working Canadians, it’s about bloody time we see some significant movement in the area of tax reduction. This announcement by the feds is a joke and an outrage. Canada is one of the most heavily taxed nations on the face of this planet. We could go on and on about our white elephant of a health care system which continues to suck up vast amounts of money at an alarming rate or any one of our so-called safety net programs but the bottom line is we are fast becoming a welfare state.

Where is the incentive to work? Our rate of taxation is so high because we are up to our eyeballs in social programs, programs which accomplish nothing but stifle ambition, creativity and self-sufficiency. Welfare was designed as a temporary measure to assist one in getting back on one’s feet, not as a career choice. Too many people trying to work hard by putting in extra time are only penalized for it by having to pay higher taxes.

As it stands now, we don’t see much difference between the fiscal policies of this Liberal regime and that of the tax-and-spend NDP. The time has come to put an end to this insanity. The time has come to get rid of many of these so-called safety net programs. The time has come to give Canadians the tax breaks we deserve. And the time has come for us to take responsibility for ourselves. We much prefer to decide for ourselves how and where to spend that extra dough we’ll have after substantial tax cuts rather than have Big Brother spend it for us.

“Sire, the peasants have no water to drink.” “That’s ok my loyal subject, let them drink cappuccino!”