Toronto transit riders may see no benefit from Stephen Harper's promise to provide a tax credit designed to save Metropass holders $189.60 a year, says the vice-chair of the Toronto Transit Commission. That's because the TTC may raise the Metropass by the same amount, Councillor Joe Mihevc said yesterday.
The TTC will be looking more closely at the situation if Harper's Conservatives win office on Monday. "If we at the TTC — who are in a big budget squeeze — suddenly find out a few days from now that passengers are going to be getting a discount on their income tax, there will actually be upward pressure on increasing fares," he said.
I can only hope that this kind of political mentality is confined to Toronto Transit Commission. I sudder to think of the implications if this is an example of progressive political thinking. Can you imagine how many levels of government will be ready to claw back any benefit to Canadian families if the proposed CPC Beer and Popcorn child tax credit kicks in? I swear Alberta looks better and better every day.
2 comments:
Nice find, Kate. I wonder if Mihevc has thought about how this is going to affect the very poor -- the guys who won't be able to get 16% back because they pay no income tax at all. For them it's not revenue-neutral -- just a net increase of 16%.
So much for that vaunted NDP social justice, eh?
I truly find all of this very funny. Don't others see the irony of all this? Regardless of what party, or so-called democracy, (I mean, even right wingers can't deny "democracy" in Toronto regarding municipal elections), it's all about who gets to control who, who's wallets one can get in.
Seriously, chasing women is a much more honorable excercise than politics and chasing for votes and power.
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