this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2024
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Let’s start with one of the highest-voltage [third rails] in federal politics: Old Age Security.

OAS only begins to be clawed back once a senior’s income exceeds $91,000. And payments aren’t zeroed out until income hits $148,000 – or $154,000 for those 75 and older. Senior couples earning a quarter-million dollars a year, and living mortgage-free, are getting cheques from younger and (much) lower-income taxpayers.

That has to be fixed. The OAS threshold should be lowered – to, say, $60,000 – and the clawback sharpened, with benefits tapping out at $100,000.

...

End the capital-gains exemption for principal residences. It’s even more untouchable than OAS. It’s also more economically harmful and inequitable.

It pumps up housing prices and pushes more and more national wealth into housing. It’s dumb economics, plus the tax break only goes to the two-thirds of families who own a home. And the richer you are, and the more home you own, the bigger the tax break. It adds up to a hyper-regressive policy to make Canada less productive.

...

Let’s restore the two percentage points of Goods and Services Tax the Harper government cut. Our tax system is too tilted to income taxes, and away from taxes on consumption. And the cut to the GST costs Ottawa about $20-billion a year.

If the GST were raised, some of the proceeds could beef up the tax credit for low-income Canadians.

There's some good stuff in there.

https://archive.is/GDzQG

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (10 children)

End the capital-gains exemption for principal residences. It’s even more untouchable than OAS. It’s also more economically harmful and inequitable.

It pumps up housing prices and pushes more and more national wealth into housing. It’s dumb economics, plus the tax break only goes to the two-thirds of families who own a home. And the richer you are, and the more home you own, the bigger the tax break. It adds up to a hyper-regressive policy to make Canada less productive.

Eh, I'm going to punt this one because it's an asset that most people want to own, but housing is a necessity as well.*

I'm going to counter with:

  • no non-human ownership of single family homes, no trusts, no corps, no foundations, etc.
  • no interest cost deductions against rental income for landlords
  • 50% of rental payments can be deducted against income for renters

That way one perk of personal, principal home ownership is still there, but at the same time fucking landlords can piss right off, and renters get a major tax-reducing benefit to boost net income for what are usually lower income earners too.

As policy it's incomplete, but I think as ideas it at least will level the playing field a little bit.

*Edit: Okay how about this: a lifetime principal residence capital gains exemption of...I dunno, $500k? Just thinking about the regressive comment where wealthier folks own bigger and more expensive homes, and this would target those hogs and leave the vast majority of normal Canadians untouched. And maybe incentivize people to not own a goddamn ugly-ass cookie-cutter McMansion, leading to a teensy bit more densification. Or at least leave more greenspace on a standard lot.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

nominal capital gains that are purely due to inflation seem like dubious tax targets (you didn't earn anything, the canadian dollar was simply worth less)... pairing this with the end of the capital gains exemption for principal residences could be interesting

honestly, real capital gains should be taxed a lot higher but inflation wrecks the math (i'd wager the 50% exemption was an attempt to account for this)

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