Friday, Feb. 10, 2012
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A $50-billion deficit: the next useful crisis

The principal explanation behind the $50-billion deficit: the huge tax cuts made by the federal Liberals and Conservatives since 1995.

Photographs by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

VANCOUVER—It is astonishing given all the commentary and news stories about the "sudden" $50-billion federal deficit there has not been a single story in the mainstream media that focuses on the principal explanation: the huge tax cuts made by the Liberals and Conservatives since 1995. First it was finance minister Paul Martin with his $100-billion income tax cut over five years starting in 2000; then it was Jim Flaherty in 2007 with $60-billion over five years. Add to that the $12-billion lost each year by lowering the GST from seven per cent to five per cent and the $50-billion is no mystery—it was an inevitability whenever the next recession hit.

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Email
Print

A $50-billion deficit: the next useful crisis

The principal explanation behind the $50-billion deficit: the huge tax cuts made by the federal Liberals and Conservatives since 1995.

Photographs by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

VANCOUVER—It is astonishing given all the commentary and news stories about the "sudden" $50-billion federal deficit there has not been a single story in the mainstream media that focuses on the principal explanation: the huge tax cuts made by the Liberals and Conservatives since 1995. First it was finance minister Paul Martin with his $100-billion income tax cut over five years starting in 2000; then it was Jim Flaherty in 2007 with $60-billion over five years. Add to that the $12-billion lost each year by lowering the GST from seven per cent to five per cent and the $50-billion is no mystery—it was an inevitability whenever the next recession hit.

  

HILL LIFE & PEOPLE SLIDESHOWS
Fare thee well, Jane Feb. 2, 2012

The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
The Globe and Mail's Jane Taber and CBC's Julie Van Dusen
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
The NDP's Brad Lavigne and Anne McGrath
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
NDP MP Megan Leslie and CTV's Don Martin
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
The Globe's Shawn McCarthy
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
iPolitics' Matthew Rowe and Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner
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The NDP's Gaby Senay and the Toronto Star's Joanna Smith
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Ensight's Jacquie LaRocque
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The crowd at Metropolitain
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney
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Liberal MP Geoff Regan
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and freelance reporter Richard Cleroux
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
CTV's Craig Oliver, Global's Tom Clark and CTV's Kevin Newman
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Global's Kevin Newman
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Liberal Interim Leader Bob Rae
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Richard Cleroux, CPAC's Peter Van Dusen and the Globe's Jane Taber
The Hill Times Photograph by Jake Wright
Postmedia's Stephen Maher

MICHAEL DE ADDER'S TAKE