"I like paying taxes"

"I like paying taxes." How many of us have ever made that statement?

"I like paying taxes" or so Neil Brooks says he does. Mr. Brooks is a Professor at Osgoode Hall Low School and a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

His recent editorial on the CCPA web site might, at first, catch you off guard as who can really claim to enjoy paying taxes? Yet, a quick read will tell you that his enjoyment of paying his fair share is grounded in the real opportunities created by the tax system.

"Taxes allow us to pursue our aspirations collectively and thus they greatly enrich the quality of life for the average Canadian family. Taxes have brought us high quality public schools that remain our democratic treasure, low tuition at world class universities, freedom from fear of crippling health bills and excellent medical services, public parks and libraries, save streets and liveable cities. None of these things come cheaply."

"Taxes also assist us in spreading our incomes over our lifetimes to maximize our well being by, for example, transferring income from our high-income years to our retirement years, from times when we are supporting children to times when we are not, and from periods when we are well and able to take care of our own needs to periods when we are ill or suffering from a disability."

"In spite of the fact that they enable us to collectively provide our most valuable goods and services, no one likes paying taxes. Therefore, promises of tax cuts are often a potent political ploy. However, before being seduced by the promise of lower taxes, Canadians ought to think seriously about the implications of a smaller public sector."

Perhaps a message easier to swallow at the polls in January than when you're filling out your tax return in March!

For Brooks' full editorial, see the CCPA web site at:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Editorials/2005/12/Editorial1255/