Then let me ask you some questions. Why should the rich who works from home or who walks to and from work pay as much in taxes as the lower-middle-class man who works downtown, lives in the suburbs, and commutes to and from work?
Why should the rich non-smoker contribute as much as the poor smoker to healthcare costs? Or the rich teetotaler as much as the poorer drinker?
Resource-taxes and so-called sin taxes help to remedy this discrepancy. Do you oppose user-pay?
Likewise, why should the rich man who gives much money to charity pay as much in tax as the rich man who doesn't? If we tax income, both end up paying as much tax if they've earned as much. But if we tax wealth, then the one who gives more to charity will be relatively poorer than the other and so would end up paying less wealth tax.
Now I suppose that if a person would really, really want to thumb his nose at the government, he could give all of his wealth to charity, exchange his car for a bicycle, stop smoking and drinking and stop going to the casino too. While I'm sure some people would manage to avoid some of these taxes, no one would avoid them completely unless he chooses to live like a monk. How many people would choose that option? Some might, but so few that they'd barely register a blip on the CRA's radar and if they manage to care for their health, give their wealth away to charity, and consume few resources and so pay minimal taxes, then should they not be compensated for their social responsibilty?
Heck, in all honesty, unless they decide to move out into the wilderness, even they would still end up paying at least some tax, however indirectly, on occasion.
Even an 'avoidable' tax would be avoidable only to a degree.
The question you ask here are what I mean when I say the government has its nose stuck into all matters that none of its business.
This is supposed to be a 'free' country, yet authorities have the audacity to try and manage our private lives.
Everyone is supposed to be equal yet authorities set it up so that those who do what they are told/advised to do get different treatment.
By social engineering, government has tries to herd us all into one pen like good little sheep.
It is nobody's business, much less government's, whether a person walks, drives or takes public transit to work. We supposedly pay taxes so that we can walk, drive or have public transit at our disposal because government has done its job providing the necessary amenities ie, safe walkways, public parking, train/bus service.
It is nobody's business if we drink, smoke, or what we do. People do things that are more dangerous than smoking and drinking. Amateur hobbyists cut their hand off with jig saws, Druggies overdose, Fat people don't exercise and eat unhealthy foods. People have indiscriminate sex and get STDs/AIDS.
Our health care is supposed to look after EVERYONE. A doctor has no business asking a person how he got hurt/sick before he treats them. His job is to treat people, NOT to judge them.
It is nobody's business how much money a person has or what he does with it. It is nobody's business whether we give to charity or not. We cannot claim 'equality for all' if we are going to dictate things like this. Yet that's what government does and many people agree with it.
The only truly way for us to have democracy/free country is for government to get out of people's personal lives. One tax for all. a 10% tax is only $4000 . to the man who earns $40,000 as opposed to $100,000 to the man who makes $1,000,000. Quite a difference and should level the playing field adequately for government to pay for its mandated responsibilities. IF government did only what government is supposed to do!
