I have tried to avoid righting anything about the gun registry in the interests of non-partisanship, but I feel that now is the time to weigh in on it. My colleague Chad is invited to argue this one with me if he so wishes.
The Firearms Registry was established in 1996 after the Chretien government passed bill C-68 in 1995. It requires all citizens owning a gun to purchase a license which costs $60-$80, and is renewable every 5 years on the holders birthday. It was created to make all guns traceable, thus reducing gun related crime.
While it is known that many crimes are committed with unregistered firearms, many crimes are committed with registered firearms. How many criminals have been put behind bars because of this program? How many lives have been saved?
The program cost taxpayers between $1.1-$3.6 million every year to operate, which in terms of savings lives is a small price to pay. Even if the system only saves a handful of lives, isn't it worth it? Can we really put a price on life?
Now, the Conservatives want to scrap the registry because they say it cost too much for what it does. It saves lives. $3.6 million is too much money for saving lives? Bill C-391 (the bill to scrap it) has passed second reading in the house and will proceed to third reading (which is the last vote) this fall. Conservative MPs will almost certainly vote in favour of it, while the Liberals will vote against it. In the previous votes, 8 Liberals voted in favour, however this time around Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has declared it a "whipped" vote which means that all Liberal MPs are required to vote with the party or face penalties.
With the Liberals voting against the bill, it all comes down to the 12 New Democrat MPs that voted in favour of it. The official NDP stance is against the bill, but Leader Jack Layton has yet to declare it a whipped vote which means MPs can vote however they want.
The NDP really does hold the fate of the Firearms Registry, and hopefully with the RCMP's recent announcement, they will vote against the bill.
The RCMP announced that they have completed a 40 page report showing that the "program is cost effective, efficient and an important tool for law enforcement." However, the report which was turned over to the government in February has not been publicly released yet. The Liberals are accusing the Conservatives of purposely withholding the report until after the vote to cover up the facts, and "The Liberal Party is demanding that the Harper government stop trying to cover up key facts in the gun registry debate and release an RCMP report that tells Canadians about its importance to public safety" in a statement released by the party.
Liberal Public Safety critic Mark Holland has submitted a letter to the Speaker of The House of Commons asking him to intervene and force the government to release the report.
And this isn't the first time that the Conservatives have seemingly withheld crucial information about the registry. After the second reading of the bill last November it was discovered that the government was in possession of a report that showed that police agencies accessed the registry an average of 10,818 time per day.
The RCMP isn't the only organisation standing in favour of the registry, the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs also believes that the registry is useful and important.
The program obviously saves lives, and if police forces are saying that they use this regularly than why would we get rid of it. This RCMP report needs to be released so that Canadians and MPs can see just how effective the program is. Hopefully with the release of this report, New Democrat MPs will vote against Bill C-391 even if they aren't "whipped" to do so.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Taxes: Why so complicated?
Don't get me wrong, I know we need to pay taxes. I'm not even going to suggest that we get rid of taxes, because I know they are necessary in our society. What I am saying is that he taxation system has gotten way too complex!
I am a university student. I live at home and work 4 months of the year. In September I leave home and head north to North Bay where I rent an apartment, attend classes, and stop working for 8 months of the year. One would think that my taxes would be simple because; a) I only work 4 months of the year, b) I live in a university residence, and c) Most of my money comes from the government (student loans and grants). Unfortunately, the lack of communication amongst government departments and the total incompetency of our taxation system makes it incredibly difficult.
Lets start with income. I work 4 months. That income is obviously reported. Then comes the loans, scholarships, grants and bursaries, almost all of which come from the government. Some of them say that I have to claim them on my income tax, others say that I don't need to claim them, and others say nothing at all. This is where it gets complicated. I get a loan from the Government of Canada, a loan from the Government of Ontario, a bursary from the Government of Canada, and a bursary and grant from the Government of Ontario. The one thing these all have in common is that they come from the Government.
Lets be clear. The Government doesn't forget that they have given me this money. They keep records of this stuff. So why then do I have to claim this on my taxes? Shouldn't the government know they gave me the money? In short, no. The grants, bursaries and loans come from various departments in various levels of Government, and do you think they will share this information with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)? No. They won't. They won't communicate with each other at all. In fact, they barely communicate with me! I don't know what needs to be claimed and what doesn't!
Next, I have a billion credits to wade through to find that I'm eligible for barely any of them. Education credit? Sounds simple enough. I just have to get a T2202A form that the university has already submitted to the CRA- wait. Already submitted? The Government already knows how much I paid for tuition? Yes. Actually they knew before taxes because the University has already told the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Then the University told them again by submitting the T2202A to the CRA. And now I have to tell them.
Now,what about the textbook credit. Does the CRA make the assumption that I bought textbooks while at University? No, I have to tell them that.
And what's with all those questions that have absolutely nothing to do with me. Do I own rental properties? I do believe I have already been asked that by OSAP. Am I married? OSAP knows. Did I move? Well I'm not commuting 4 hours everyday to go to school, and OSAP knows where I go to school.
Lets look at the Ontario Property Tax Credit. To be eligible you must be over 16, check. Must pay property tax or rent, check. Must not be a dependent, check. Seems to me that I am eligible for this credit. Why shouldn't I be? I paid for my residence, the equivalency of over $700/month for 8 months! But no, apparently paying rent to the residence isn't the same as paying rent to any other landlord in the province. Apparently all I'm eligible for is $25 for living in residence. $25. Thanks Ontario.
Now what happens when you need help with this monstrosity we call taxes? Not a whole lot. I had the above predicament happen to me this year, so I called the CRA to ask them. Their response: "Thank you for calling Canada Revenue Agency. No one is available to take your call right now. Please try again later." Click. Thanks. 5 phone calls later I finally get through, and a lady tells me that of course I am eligible! "Just call the university and get them to send you a signed letter stating how much you paid." So I call the University and they tell me no, I am not eligible and they will not provide me with a letter or a tax receipt. So I call CRA another 4 times and a different lady tells me that I am probably not eligible. Probably? The letter I have says they want to see this receipt within 30 days. I don't have time for probably. So I call back and yet another lady tells me that I am most likely not eligible. She says that I am however most likely eligible for the $25 residence credit.
So I wrote a letter to CRA, using a lot of "maybe's" and "probably's." I probably did my taxes wrong, and I might have to ask them to make changes to it. Maybe. I faxed it to them, so I know they have it now. I'm still waiting for their response.
Taxes will never be a fun time of year, but it doesn't have to be so painful and complicated. If the Government could get some interdepartmental communication going, and simplify all these tax credits than perhaps people wouldn't mind doing taxes every year. I don't think I'm asking for much. I just want the Government to communicate with itself, and the taxation system to be streamlined.
How much money could the Government save it they shared information? Hey, they might even be able to lower taxes with all those savings!
I am a university student. I live at home and work 4 months of the year. In September I leave home and head north to North Bay where I rent an apartment, attend classes, and stop working for 8 months of the year. One would think that my taxes would be simple because; a) I only work 4 months of the year, b) I live in a university residence, and c) Most of my money comes from the government (student loans and grants). Unfortunately, the lack of communication amongst government departments and the total incompetency of our taxation system makes it incredibly difficult.
Lets start with income. I work 4 months. That income is obviously reported. Then comes the loans, scholarships, grants and bursaries, almost all of which come from the government. Some of them say that I have to claim them on my income tax, others say that I don't need to claim them, and others say nothing at all. This is where it gets complicated. I get a loan from the Government of Canada, a loan from the Government of Ontario, a bursary from the Government of Canada, and a bursary and grant from the Government of Ontario. The one thing these all have in common is that they come from the Government.
Lets be clear. The Government doesn't forget that they have given me this money. They keep records of this stuff. So why then do I have to claim this on my taxes? Shouldn't the government know they gave me the money? In short, no. The grants, bursaries and loans come from various departments in various levels of Government, and do you think they will share this information with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)? No. They won't. They won't communicate with each other at all. In fact, they barely communicate with me! I don't know what needs to be claimed and what doesn't!
Next, I have a billion credits to wade through to find that I'm eligible for barely any of them. Education credit? Sounds simple enough. I just have to get a T2202A form that the university has already submitted to the CRA- wait. Already submitted? The Government already knows how much I paid for tuition? Yes. Actually they knew before taxes because the University has already told the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Then the University told them again by submitting the T2202A to the CRA. And now I have to tell them.
Now,what about the textbook credit. Does the CRA make the assumption that I bought textbooks while at University? No, I have to tell them that.
And what's with all those questions that have absolutely nothing to do with me. Do I own rental properties? I do believe I have already been asked that by OSAP. Am I married? OSAP knows. Did I move? Well I'm not commuting 4 hours everyday to go to school, and OSAP knows where I go to school.
Lets look at the Ontario Property Tax Credit. To be eligible you must be over 16, check. Must pay property tax or rent, check. Must not be a dependent, check. Seems to me that I am eligible for this credit. Why shouldn't I be? I paid for my residence, the equivalency of over $700/month for 8 months! But no, apparently paying rent to the residence isn't the same as paying rent to any other landlord in the province. Apparently all I'm eligible for is $25 for living in residence. $25. Thanks Ontario.
Now what happens when you need help with this monstrosity we call taxes? Not a whole lot. I had the above predicament happen to me this year, so I called the CRA to ask them. Their response: "Thank you for calling Canada Revenue Agency. No one is available to take your call right now. Please try again later." Click. Thanks. 5 phone calls later I finally get through, and a lady tells me that of course I am eligible! "Just call the university and get them to send you a signed letter stating how much you paid." So I call the University and they tell me no, I am not eligible and they will not provide me with a letter or a tax receipt. So I call CRA another 4 times and a different lady tells me that I am probably not eligible. Probably? The letter I have says they want to see this receipt within 30 days. I don't have time for probably. So I call back and yet another lady tells me that I am most likely not eligible. She says that I am however most likely eligible for the $25 residence credit.
So I wrote a letter to CRA, using a lot of "maybe's" and "probably's." I probably did my taxes wrong, and I might have to ask them to make changes to it. Maybe. I faxed it to them, so I know they have it now. I'm still waiting for their response.
Taxes will never be a fun time of year, but it doesn't have to be so painful and complicated. If the Government could get some interdepartmental communication going, and simplify all these tax credits than perhaps people wouldn't mind doing taxes every year. I don't think I'm asking for much. I just want the Government to communicate with itself, and the taxation system to be streamlined.
How much money could the Government save it they shared information? Hey, they might even be able to lower taxes with all those savings!
Monday, August 23, 2010
I'm back!
Good morning faithful readers! It must be a good morning, because I'm back from holidays! After spending a week on the east coast of our beautiful country (no I didn't see the Prime Minister on his east coast tour), it's good to be back!
Alas, as excited and ready as I am to write, there is not a lot to write about. I am delighted to see that my colleague, Chad Godin, was able to keep you all up-to-date while I was away, so I suppose I don't have a whole lot to catch you up on.
In terms of action today, the Prime Minister stops in Churchill, Manitoba for an announcement before heading to the arctic for his annual northern tour. I will be sure to let you know if the announcement is anything exciting! Ignatieff and the Liberal Express are finishing up in BC today, and Jack Layton is attending some events in Montreal.
That's really all that's happening in Canadian politics right now. Now if we turn our gaze to Australia, we have a totally different story! The country is still in limbo, with neither the Labour Party nor the Coalition (Conservative Liberal) Party holding enough seats to form a government. As of right now, the Labours hold 72, and the Coalition holds 70. A party must win 76 seats to claim victory. The drama continues, but seeing as this is a Canadian political blog, I won't bore readers with Australian politics. See the ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) election coverage here.
CORRECTION: The original post stated that the Prime Minister would be in Winnipeg for the announcement. This is incorrect, and the post has been corrected.
Alas, as excited and ready as I am to write, there is not a lot to write about. I am delighted to see that my colleague, Chad Godin, was able to keep you all up-to-date while I was away, so I suppose I don't have a whole lot to catch you up on.
In terms of action today, the Prime Minister stops in Churchill, Manitoba for an announcement before heading to the arctic for his annual northern tour. I will be sure to let you know if the announcement is anything exciting! Ignatieff and the Liberal Express are finishing up in BC today, and Jack Layton is attending some events in Montreal.
That's really all that's happening in Canadian politics right now. Now if we turn our gaze to Australia, we have a totally different story! The country is still in limbo, with neither the Labour Party nor the Coalition (Conservative Liberal) Party holding enough seats to form a government. As of right now, the Labours hold 72, and the Coalition holds 70. A party must win 76 seats to claim victory. The drama continues, but seeing as this is a Canadian political blog, I won't bore readers with Australian politics. See the ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) election coverage here.
CORRECTION: The original post stated that the Prime Minister would be in Winnipeg for the announcement. This is incorrect, and the post has been corrected.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)