Editorial Shoddy sales tax scheme

It seemed like an idea whose time had come. The existing retail sales tax was long overdue for an overhaul and, in general, there was a feeling among reasonable people that some sort of sales tax reform was needed. Even the concept of a value added tax such as those found in Europe and New Zealand could be defended.

But into the breach steps Wilson with a scheme so complicated and so potentially inequitable that even the staunchest of Tory supporters finds its difficult to support.

What is particularly irksome, and decidedly against the spirit of giving government a slice of every business transaction, is the effect of paying taxes on taxes.

Surely our political representatives — both provincial and federal — could have cooperated to provide a more reasonable scheme, perhaps one that involved a single tax structure with the proceeds shared between the two levels of government on some mutually agreed upon formula.

The federal government should think long and hard about this proposal, then come up with some politically acceptable way to overhaul its proposed tax overhaul.

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