Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale today announced the creation of a new 'non-consumption' tax (NCT).
Goodale indicated the tax targets Canadians who seek to avoid paying their 'fair share' by limiting personal consumption.
'The critical services provided to Canadians by the federal government, such as the July 1st fireworks display on Parliament Hill and critical MP fact-finding missions in Barbados and Hawaii, are funded by government tax revenues' the Finance Minister stated. 'Consumption taxes, such as the GST, form a significant portion of these tax revenues. Efforts to avoid consumption taxes harm the Canadian economy and Canadian government.
The Minister also indicated that 'the health of the Canadian economy is based on Canadians continuously purchasing products they don't need' and that for this reason 'the irresponsible attitude of those who refuse to spend money on gizmos and doodads of no real use to anyone harms both government revenues and the Canadian economy.'
Goodale stated 'I'm here to tell these "non-consumptionists" that the free ride is over.'
When asked to provide a "profile" of the typical Canadian non-consumptionist, the Minister stated:
'In the past non-consumptionists formed a small segment of society and were easily identifiable by virtue of their bizarre lifestyles. Most were crackpots, weirdos and Mennonites who lived "off the grid" and refused to incorporate such common household necessities as televisions, curling irons and salad spinners into their anti-social lifestyles.'
'Over the past few years however, non-consumption has increasingly become an acceptable lifestyle for many Canadians. Today, a non-consumptionist can resemble any other Canadian, often being identifiable only by the antiquated bicycles they use to replace a car; the homemade quilts, jams and preserves found in their homes; the vegetable gardens hidden in their backyard and the odd looking "solar panels" which often cover their houses.'
'Make no mistake.' a stern faced Goodale warned 'Tear off the mask of "healthy or environmentally friendly lifestyle" worn by many non-consumptionists and you'll find a parasite who seeks to enjoy the benefits of Canadian society without paying their fair share of the costs.
The Minister indicated he was aware of many cases involving Canadians who had not purchased a new automobile, cell phone or bobble-head hockey player figure in well over a year, stating 'these individuals just aren't pulling their weight in our society. It has to stop.'
'Even more tragic' Goodale stated 'is the negligent, if not outright abusive, behaviour some non-consumptionists display towards their own family. I am personally aware of a case where a father spent several months crafting toys as Christmas gifts for his children rather than living up to his paternal responsibilities and spending the measly few hundred dollars required to purchase the Bratz dolls and Playstation 2 every young Canadian girl and boy needs to support their growth as healthy consumeristic adults.'
Asked about the motives of non-consumptionists, Goodale admitted that a number of government studies had failed to provide a conclusive answer. 'Many non-consumptionists labour under the mistaken belief that their actions are somehow good for the environment or their own quality of life. All have some weird rationale for not spending money necessities, such as SUVs and home theatre systems, that in their disturbed minds are deemed "unnecessary".
Personally, I think most are just cheapskates.' the Minister offered, adding 'No one can tell me a Canadian home that doesn't have a television in every room is "normal".'
When queried as to the impact of non-consumptionists on Canadian society, the Minster responded, 'It's impossible to over-emphasize the threat these people pose.
As an example, I'm sure we're all aware of the stress on our society created by the concern that our non-renewable energy resources, such as gas and oil, may be running out. The rational person's view of this situation is that these resources should be used up as quickly as possible to eliminate this stress. It's quite apparent to most that if there is nothing left to worry about, no one will be worried.
However, the typical non-consumptionist will advise a policy of 'conservation', thus dragging the situation, and resultant stress to society, on interminably.
These people just don't care about the impact of their selfish beliefs on other Canadians.'
When asked to provide details concerning the nature of the tax, Goodale explained 'The tax will place only a minimal burden on consumers. Government will work with banks and credit card companies to compile a record of each Canadian's debit and credit card purchases for a year. This information will be utilized during the assessment of the individual's income tax return for that year to assess the NCT payable by the individual for the year. The tax will be 25% of the difference between what, based on their income, the individual should have spent and the amount actually spent in the year on qualified consumer purchases.
Consumers who choose to use cash to pay for purchases will need to include the receipts for their purchases with their tax return to ensure the correct calculation of the NCT.
Goodale went on to clarify the meaning of "qualified consumer purchase (QCP) 'A qualified consumer purchase is a specified item which adds value to government revenue or the economy. For example, fresh vegetables bought for the preparation of a home meal will not be a QCP, primarily we've been unable to design a consumer tax that could be applied to basic food items without the expectation of MPs being dragged from Parliament and lynched from the nearest tree. The government's view is that in purchasing the items intended for the preparation of a healthy home-cooked meal, the individual is practicing a tax avoidance strategy designed to avoid the tax otherwise payable on a restaurant meal. Another example is equipment designed to allow an individual to meet some or all of their own energy needs, and thus avoid the tax otherwise payable on electricity and gas while also damaging the energy sector of our economy. This type of irresponsible purchase is not a QCP for the purposes of the NCT.'
The Minister offered assurances that the NCT will not affect normal Canadian consumers who spend all, or more than, they can afford on QCPs. 'This tax is aimed solely at those whose limiting of their consumption poses a threat to our tax system and economy.
In fact, some consumers will benefit.
The Minister indicated that 'the government recognizes that the more an individual spends, the better it is for the economy. So, the individual who, for example, chooses to aid the Canadian economy by purchasing a $140,000 BMW over a $20,000 Sentra or spending $750,000 on a yacht rather than $750 on a canoe, will receive a tax credit to reduce their income tax otherwise payable.
Basically, this tax is intended to remove the advantages for those who have hithertoe not paid their fair share within Canadian society and at the same time reward those who contribute most to the Canadian economy.
The NCT is one of a number of components in the government's overall strategy to achieve "sustainable development" goals.'
'After all' the Minister stated 'if we can't keep people buying, how are we going to sustain development?'
Goodale indicated the tax targets Canadians who seek to avoid paying their 'fair share' by limiting personal consumption.
'The critical services provided to Canadians by the federal government, such as the July 1st fireworks display on Parliament Hill and critical MP fact-finding missions in Barbados and Hawaii, are funded by government tax revenues' the Finance Minister stated. 'Consumption taxes, such as the GST, form a significant portion of these tax revenues. Efforts to avoid consumption taxes harm the Canadian economy and Canadian government.
The Minister also indicated that 'the health of the Canadian economy is based on Canadians continuously purchasing products they don't need' and that for this reason 'the irresponsible attitude of those who refuse to spend money on gizmos and doodads of no real use to anyone harms both government revenues and the Canadian economy.'
Goodale stated 'I'm here to tell these "non-consumptionists" that the free ride is over.'
When asked to provide a "profile" of the typical Canadian non-consumptionist, the Minister stated:
'In the past non-consumptionists formed a small segment of society and were easily identifiable by virtue of their bizarre lifestyles. Most were crackpots, weirdos and Mennonites who lived "off the grid" and refused to incorporate such common household necessities as televisions, curling irons and salad spinners into their anti-social lifestyles.'
'Over the past few years however, non-consumption has increasingly become an acceptable lifestyle for many Canadians. Today, a non-consumptionist can resemble any other Canadian, often being identifiable only by the antiquated bicycles they use to replace a car; the homemade quilts, jams and preserves found in their homes; the vegetable gardens hidden in their backyard and the odd looking "solar panels" which often cover their houses.'
'Make no mistake.' a stern faced Goodale warned 'Tear off the mask of "healthy or environmentally friendly lifestyle" worn by many non-consumptionists and you'll find a parasite who seeks to enjoy the benefits of Canadian society without paying their fair share of the costs.
The Minister indicated he was aware of many cases involving Canadians who had not purchased a new automobile, cell phone or bobble-head hockey player figure in well over a year, stating 'these individuals just aren't pulling their weight in our society. It has to stop.'
'Even more tragic' Goodale stated 'is the negligent, if not outright abusive, behaviour some non-consumptionists display towards their own family. I am personally aware of a case where a father spent several months crafting toys as Christmas gifts for his children rather than living up to his paternal responsibilities and spending the measly few hundred dollars required to purchase the Bratz dolls and Playstation 2 every young Canadian girl and boy needs to support their growth as healthy consumeristic adults.'
Asked about the motives of non-consumptionists, Goodale admitted that a number of government studies had failed to provide a conclusive answer. 'Many non-consumptionists labour under the mistaken belief that their actions are somehow good for the environment or their own quality of life. All have some weird rationale for not spending money necessities, such as SUVs and home theatre systems, that in their disturbed minds are deemed "unnecessary".
Personally, I think most are just cheapskates.' the Minister offered, adding 'No one can tell me a Canadian home that doesn't have a television in every room is "normal".'
When queried as to the impact of non-consumptionists on Canadian society, the Minster responded, 'It's impossible to over-emphasize the threat these people pose.
As an example, I'm sure we're all aware of the stress on our society created by the concern that our non-renewable energy resources, such as gas and oil, may be running out. The rational person's view of this situation is that these resources should be used up as quickly as possible to eliminate this stress. It's quite apparent to most that if there is nothing left to worry about, no one will be worried.
However, the typical non-consumptionist will advise a policy of 'conservation', thus dragging the situation, and resultant stress to society, on interminably.
These people just don't care about the impact of their selfish beliefs on other Canadians.'
When asked to provide details concerning the nature of the tax, Goodale explained 'The tax will place only a minimal burden on consumers. Government will work with banks and credit card companies to compile a record of each Canadian's debit and credit card purchases for a year. This information will be utilized during the assessment of the individual's income tax return for that year to assess the NCT payable by the individual for the year. The tax will be 25% of the difference between what, based on their income, the individual should have spent and the amount actually spent in the year on qualified consumer purchases.
Consumers who choose to use cash to pay for purchases will need to include the receipts for their purchases with their tax return to ensure the correct calculation of the NCT.
Goodale went on to clarify the meaning of "qualified consumer purchase (QCP) 'A qualified consumer purchase is a specified item which adds value to government revenue or the economy. For example, fresh vegetables bought for the preparation of a home meal will not be a QCP, primarily we've been unable to design a consumer tax that could be applied to basic food items without the expectation of MPs being dragged from Parliament and lynched from the nearest tree. The government's view is that in purchasing the items intended for the preparation of a healthy home-cooked meal, the individual is practicing a tax avoidance strategy designed to avoid the tax otherwise payable on a restaurant meal. Another example is equipment designed to allow an individual to meet some or all of their own energy needs, and thus avoid the tax otherwise payable on electricity and gas while also damaging the energy sector of our economy. This type of irresponsible purchase is not a QCP for the purposes of the NCT.'
The Minister offered assurances that the NCT will not affect normal Canadian consumers who spend all, or more than, they can afford on QCPs. 'This tax is aimed solely at those whose limiting of their consumption poses a threat to our tax system and economy.
In fact, some consumers will benefit.
The Minister indicated that 'the government recognizes that the more an individual spends, the better it is for the economy. So, the individual who, for example, chooses to aid the Canadian economy by purchasing a $140,000 BMW over a $20,000 Sentra or spending $750,000 on a yacht rather than $750 on a canoe, will receive a tax credit to reduce their income tax otherwise payable.
Basically, this tax is intended to remove the advantages for those who have hithertoe not paid their fair share within Canadian society and at the same time reward those who contribute most to the Canadian economy.
The NCT is one of a number of components in the government's overall strategy to achieve "sustainable development" goals.'
'After all' the Minister stated 'if we can't keep people buying, how are we going to sustain development?'
