Stephane Dion - time for a leadership review?

[zastrazzi]

A federal Liberal government could eventually rescind Conservative cuts to the goods-and-services tax, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Wednesday.

Is Stephane Dion an idiot? Even ignoring soaring surpluses, how can he possibly believe that rescinding a cut against the most hated tax in Canada could do anything positive for him or his party?

Comments

[siobhan63]

Because it's good policy? I hope they do this - i would definitely vote for them if they did.

[zastrazzi]

As someone who pays GST at the retail level, as well as being responsible for collecting it and paying it to the government (self employed) I'm definitely in favour of the cut.

I'm not a big fan of Harper by any stretch, and yes, I'd prefer to pay less tax as an individual as well - but cutting the GST is one of the platforms the Conservatives ran on. They've stuck with that so far, reducing both the GST and personal taxes.

The government already clearly collects an excess of tax for what we get, so reducing that tax burden is a good thing in my view. Governments shouldn't run multi-billion dollar surpluses.

[siobhan63]

They may have run on it but that doesn't stop it from being bad policy and bad economics. Raise the GST and use the revenue from that to massively cut PIT and CIT. It's far better economic policy. The Cons were soundly criticised for the first cut - even the OECD and World Bank said it was stupid policy. Just cuz a party promises to do something doesn't mean they should - not when the promise is a bad one.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071025.RGST25/TPStory/?query=gst

[zastrazzi]

Thing is, I don't see it as bad policy or bad economics. It's not the ~best~ tax cut from an economic standpoint, that I'll happily agree to.

I just happen to think that Dion is an idiot to come out and say he'd raise it again if the Liberals got in power. From a purely political view, it was dumb. How hard would it have been to say he disagrees with how Harper structured the cuts and point out that he'd focus on personal and corporate tax cuts if he were in office? Not only a popular statement, but easily supported by numerous economists.

*That* is why I think Dion is an idiot.

[penlessej]

Its a tax cut that is based on the principle of helping the rich and not the poor. And in regards to a leadership review that simple will not happen before an election. You would have to be an idiot to suggest that any party would oust their leader before they went into an election...especially with one loaming.

A two percent cut in the GST does not even put a dent into the surplus...it is a wasteful move that dripping with political motivation.

[zastrazzi]

Helping the rich? It also helps *any* person buying a car. Or a house. That's thousands of dollars on it's own.

As for a leadership review, I simply can't see it hurting them any more than Dion already is. Dion's willingness to bend over and take it just to keep their seats is appalling.

[penlessej]

How many people below the poverty line bough a new car last year? How many do you think will be counting their savings on their way to the dealership?

A Canadian earning $40,000 a year can only save a maximum $800 a year (which is not accurate at all because not every cent of your earnings are taxed through GST).

And yes a leadership review would hurt the party. Suggesting this again now places you on boarder-line insane.

[penlessej]

*bought

[tridus]

More importantly, if he's actually against the tax cut, why not vote against it now?

Oh, right...

[mijopo]

Wait a second; I'm old enough to remember when the Liberals ran around promising to rescind the GST, now they're going to rescind the cuts to the GST? What exactly is their tax policy? (And "take the Conservatives tax policy and pledge to do the opposite, but then ignore the promise once you get into office" isn't a policy, just a (terribly cynical) strategy)

[siobhan63]

Are you saying that because a party promises to do something once (16 years ago) they're bound by that forever? It would have been stupid to cut the GST back in 1993 - as the Liberals quickly realized given how bad the debt and deficit were, and it's still bad policy to cut the GST. The most intelligent thing the Mulroney gov't did was introduce the GST in the first place.

[penlessej]

Exactly. It was a bad policy when it was presented by Chretien and it still is a bad policy. Unless of course you are governing for votes (*cough* *cough* Harper) and not by principle (like presenting policy that is actually good and helpful for Canadians...I am thinking national child care).

Crazy ... Like a Fox!

[harry_beast]

Dion knows that unless he gets a majority government, he's toast after the next election, so he may be trying to artificially depress Liberal numbers in the polls to control the expectations and exuberance of his own party. As long as things look bad, the Liberals won't go to the polls, and his job is safe. He might also be holding back to lull Harper into a false sense of security, hoping to expose Harper's hidden agenda. Anyway, we mustn't be too hard on Dion. Chretien was a bit of a dud as an opposition leader too, and look how he turned out.

Re: Crazy ... Like a Fox!

[allhatnocattle]

Campbell ran a campaign? That's news to me. I thought she was in Disneyworld the whole time.

Re: Crazy ... Like a Fox!

[sourdick]

Being PM was just her summer job :)