Advocating for “green” road-tolls to syphon money from drivers to public transit  and a carbon tax (ostensibly to syphon money from Ontarians to China and other polluters), the commissioner would seem to be stepping far beyond the appropriate bounds of an officer of Parliament and directly into the sphere of political advoacy. His plan would put in place tolls on roads to achieve two ends:

1. Lower the number of cars on the road by making driving even more unafforable for all but the affluent; and
2. Channel the funds from the shmuks still on the road into public transit.

Ontario drivers will already be paying a full 34% of their pump price in taxes after the HST takes effect on July 1st. Commissioner Miller doesn’t think that this is enough, and one has to wondering if Ontario’s Environment Minister Gerresten and Premier McGunity agree.

Even if the premier and his environment minister don’t nod in agreement with their spokesman commissioner, they would be wise to recognize that drivers have been directly subsidizing public transit for years. Only recently has the federal government made moves to ensure that gas tax dollars are reinvested into roads, but public transit is still massively subsidized by general revenues (which is Latin for: all taxpayers).

If the commissioner deems that it is in his job description to act as a government-paid front for environmental lobby groups, than he might consider directing his tax-wrath elsewhere. Ontario is plagued by many real and serious environmental problems: the state of the Great Lakes and fuel spills in the north among them. The quality of our land, air and water are areas of concern that matter, with solutions that are grounded in solid science. Political advocacy for more taxes to satisfy some Kyoto met-dream is not only bad for taxpayers, it distracts the public from serious environmental concerns.

Randy Hillier

• Introduce a ‘Tax & Expenditure’ constitutional amendment to:
  • To make the pre-McGunity Taxpayer Protection Act less easy for politicians to get their hands on;
  • Cap spending at combined growth in inflation and population; and
  • Prevent government from increasing spending during the fiscal year
• Abolish municipal property taxes in favour of a revenue sharing formula with the province
• Eliminate corporate welfare, including the auto bailouts
• Hold Senate elections
• Supports in principle, but will not include in his platform, the ability to ‘recall’ MPPs
• Allow Ontarians the right to purchase private health insurance
• End public funding of non-medically necessary procedures
• Overhaul the LCBO
• Protect property rights through a bilateral constitutional amendment
• Make unions voluntary while maintaining the right to join as a matter of choice

Tim Hudak

• Strengthen the Taxpayer Protection Act, but will not push to entrench in the constitution
• Cap spending at growth and inflation, but not make doing so mandatory in legislation
• Devote all end of year surpluses to debt repayment
• Eliminate corporate welfare, but stipulates that since the auto bailouts are going ahead regardless, the most excessive aspects must be reined in.
• Hold Senate elections
• Rejects ‘recall’
• Allow for the private delivery of health care, but does not directly touch on private insurance
• End public funding of non-medically necessary procedures
• Allow wine sales outside of the current regime in a system comparable to ‘The Beer Store’
• Introduce a ‘Property Owners Bill of Rights’ and support federal initiatives to protect property in the constitution
• Does not directly commit to the right to opt out of unions as a matter of choice, but does commit to restoring the secret ballot

Christine Elliott

• Overhaul Ontario’s tax regime with a flat tax
• Reform EI
• Freeze the minimum wage
• Reform voluntary overtime laws

Frank Klees

• Make the pre-McGunity Taxpayer Protection Act less easy for politicians to get their hands on
• Use restraint in spending, but does will not make limiting spending to growth and inflation mandatory in legislation
• Will not eliminate corporate welfare
• Hold Senate elections
• Allow for the private delivery of health care, but does not directly touch on private insurance
• Will not commit to ending the public funding of non-medically necessary procedures, but promises a “review and reassessment”
• Will not commit to reforming the LCBO, but proses that an “efficiency review” be undertaken
• Protect property rights through a bilateral constitutional amendment
• Does not directly commit to the right to opt out of unions as a matter of choice, but promise to work with PCPO grassroots on developing policy on freedom of choice in unions

Cross-Posted at www.taxpayerblog.com

A summary of each candidate’s answers will be coming soon…

Cross-Posted at www.taxpayerblog.com