A Short Sentence In The Speech From The Throne

Signals an important philosophical change

In the recent speech from the throne the Trudeau government introduced their intention to amend the income tax act.

In the grand scheme of things it was very small and seemingly unimportant.

“The Government will also work to introduce free, automatic tax filing for simple returns to ensure citizens receive the benefits they need,”

It was a short line that took all of eight seconds for Governor General to read, but the potential impact for some Canadians — particularly those who depend on certain benefits to make ends meet — was significant.

The concept is simple and practical. Revenue Canada already has all of the information that they need to send out pre-filled tax forms to most Canadians.

All that would be necessary is for us to check the form make adjustments if necessary and send it back. It could be done in a few minutes by email.

No need to spend endless hours doing taxes. No need buy expensive software or hire somebody to file a simple return.

What is more important is that the number of Canadians who miss out on getting benefits to which they are entitled would be reduce.

This is the way governments should behave. If citizens are not receiving the benefits they deserve. Government should act on their behalf. What has been happening is that businesses, governments and individuals have for too long held the belief that.

If those losers who don’t have the means or intelligence to take advantage of everything to which they are entitled that is their loss and our gain.

Imagine living in a world in which such a mean spirited lack of values was not the norm.

This announcement is a small step in that direction.

Jim McAulay🍁 says “If you don’t cut the cake into pieces and just eat the whole cake then you have only eaten one piece”.

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