If you want examples, go to any good will store and watch what people buy. 

There are credits that apply to dividends, and a calculation for capital gains, but after that it is “income” and all streams come down to one tax on income.  But that’s a good point, too, in that those ‘extra’ calculations are needlessly complicating.  I mean, who thought up “grossing up” in order to provide a credit?

Liberals were against it at first because a) they were in opposition and are supposed to provide an alternative viewpoint but mostly b) it was new, untried, and suggested at 9%.  That was 1991.  Since then, we have seen the value of the GST.  Since then, it has been the Conservatives giving the tax a bad name.  But you blithely skip over that and speak about twenty years ago as if it were today.

I think the federal Liberal Party got completely spooked by what happened at the polls when Dion was leader and proposed the Green Shift.  I think they concluded from that that anything that even looks like a tax increase is toxic at the polls.  I would love to be proven wrong on that.

So long as the G/HST credits to low-income households are increased to offset the effects of an increased GST, this is got to be the best way to go.

Clearly the CPC won’t ever implement such a package because of the GST and the NDP doesn’t understand that the GST doesn’t have to be regressive, nor would they ever think of reducing corporate taxes.

Take note, potential Liberal leaders.  This is how you get my vote.

We have that.  That’s why there’s income tax, capital gains tax, dividend tax etc…

I hope that’s what you mean, and not have different income tax rates depending on the source of your employment income, because that would be the biggest mess of all time.

“A Conservative government will…preserve income trusts by not imposing any new taxes on them.” 

Selective memory is widespread, don’t you think?

Diane Francis: 
“The income trust fiasco has created $2 billion a year in tax leakage, and counting, instead of stemming it as promised; it disrupted the junior oil and other markets by removing competitors for their assets; it blackened Canada’s reputation to offshore investors…many of whom were in the UK and banked on Harper’s promise and, worst of all, has spawned a spate of foreign leveraged buyouts of Canadian assets and corporations.”

I agree. It was a dumb move to buy votes from people who are still angry about the GST. My point is, if the Liberals hadn’t turned the GST into a boogey man that type of move wouldn’t work and we’d be free to actually look at the merit of the tax.

Sadly, Mulroney didn’t sell it very well and the Chrétien marketing team did a great job of manipulating the electorate into believing that it was an evil plot. Harper is just taking advantage of the now entrenched fear.

Sadly, we’re stuck with high income tax.

Once elected, Chretien did not get rid of the GST.  Ergo, he lied.  So did the rest of his caucus and party.  Sheila Copps said she’d resign if they didn’t get rid of the GST.  She didn’t resign when it became quite evident that the Liberals had lied their faces off and were keeping the GST.  It was only when there was a firestorm of public anger at Copps at her bald-faced mendacity that she finally relented, “resigned” her ultra-safe seat in Hamilton, promptly ran again in the same ultra-safe seat and got re-elected.  Most of us didn’t share Copps’ self-serving interpretation of the word “resign”.  We thought it meant, you know, leave.  For good.  Like she should have done had she had any integrity.

No confusion. The GST is a poison pill and the Conservatives are playing politics with it.

Name one Government, federal or provincial, that has raised their consumption tax and survived an election since the GST was introduced.

That was the funniest exchange I’ve seen on here in a long while.  Too bad you weren’t actually trying to be amusing.

I’m not saying I like the rules of the game, I’m just saying he’s good at the game.

Surely, Turd, you see the problem with that.

You can’t ever say Harper hasn’t learned to play the game, he basically uses the same weapons Chrétien used.