OrilliaMatters has received the following letter to the editor from concerned Orillian Rick Lockman, who suggests an option to raise government revenue.
A common theme is that government needs to spend within its means.
Absolutely correct. But, what is not often mentioned is lost resources that have decreased those means.
Job losses and reduced wages result in less tax being paid, in lower contributions to the CPP and reduced consumer spending meaning lower sales tax revenue.
Government means need to recover. Living-wage jobs are the answer. People with living-wage jobs spend the majority of their income, recirculating it back into our economy.
Big businesses making large profits are not reinvesting much of it in our economy. Instead, they are shipping much of it out of country and into offshore tax havens. The Panama Papers are just the tip of the iceberg.
The solution is obvious. But finding and electing honest political leaders to do the right thing is a much tougher task.
Rick Lockman
Orillia
