Embracing the data-diving into that is the very problem that Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist's says is the problem in The Matter with Things as it has us miss seeing the obvious, the emperor has no clothes moments. Social scientists try to pretend that understanding society is a science when it is not a science at all. In fact, it is harder than rocket science and far less predictable. No need to defend Generation Squeeze I support its good works and it’s cause for generational economic justice. Just let that idea I expressed sink in. Let it rest with you and give you pause as you as you go forward in that complexity of data.
You do not need data to see or say society has a hoarding of wealth and unfair distribution of wealth problem. Too much wealth is allowed to accumulate because we lack proper taxes on wealth. You can use data to support that fact, but you do not need data to see that everywhere. But for certain we can so easily get so caught up in the data of measurable costs so as not to see the immeasurable costs.
We don’t set limits on how much wealth one man can hoard because we lack the insight- the shared thinking model to see that no man has really earned that much more or deserves that much more than any man. We deny the importance of luck, flukes good and bad fortune. Our economic models fail to represent the world as interconnected interdependent webs as they are. Dynamic and organic not points of data. Rather our economic models simplify and exclude so much and amplify the mere measurable. We are in a technocratic specialized siloed bureaucratic nightmare or as John Ralston Saul titled his 1995 Massey Lecture, we are an Unconscious Civilization or as McGilchrist would say our right hemisphere- our bullshit detectors are atrophied by our unbalanced overuse of the left hemisphere which is a merely technician and not and observant philosopher.
Taxing wealth is the way to go. Most of the homeowners that I have talked to who enjoy the increase of values in their homes don’t stop to look at the fact their property taxes have not increased proportionally to the real increased values of their homes. That’s in Ontario. But even in BC where updated real values of homes appear on tax bills owners of million dollars home are paying too low taxes on them. Tapping into that is not to create a generational conflict but raising awareness and making unaffordable housing SEEN as too costly by all. It’s all about increasing the likelihood of all of us telling government that we need a freeze on property values until we can get property taxes better aligned with their real values. We would need to put in supports for people living in 2-million-dollar homes with incomes not able to support fair taxes on million-dollar homes. BUT imagine getting a tax bill that shows how much it is reduced- subsidized because of your low income or lack of other wealth. That takes the threat out of a bill being too high to pay-of losing your home but emphasizes real costs and values. Getting real is what is needed. Wake up calls should not be deemed as too controversial. If you own two homes, then you would not be subsidized on your housing taxes. That in itself would raise awareness and take us in the right direction. My ethics say that no man should own two homes when we have a housing crisis. That can’t be legislated but those that own two homes should pay full taxes-realistic taxes on the actual values of their homes. That would change mindsets and behaviors. Cottages are an extreme luxuries and should be taxed like extreme luxuries. In Ontario they are not.
This week Dorothy Mccabe mayor of Waterloo Ontario said "the property tax base is not built to pay for our needs, so we need a new social and fiscal funding framework... housing and homelessness is basically downloaded to us the property tax base" ...that just is not there. And I am sure Generation Squeeze is working on that.
Thanks Glen for jumping in here. Definitely it's time to start thinking differently about income vs wealth - and how home ownership is changing the way we should under 'class' in Canada. You're right that Gen Squeeze has long argued that it's time for a tax shift. In a nutshell, we need to reduce taxes on income, and increase taxes on unhealthy home values (and other things we don't want). You can check out this page for more: https://www.gensqueeze.ca/taxshift.
For those who want to get into the weeds, there's a link to our report from the Canadian Tax Journal.
Embracing the data-diving into that is the very problem that Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist's says is the problem in The Matter with Things as it has us miss seeing the obvious, the emperor has no clothes moments. Social scientists try to pretend that understanding society is a science when it is not a science at all. In fact, it is harder than rocket science and far less predictable. No need to defend Generation Squeeze I support its good works and it’s cause for generational economic justice. Just let that idea I expressed sink in. Let it rest with you and give you pause as you as you go forward in that complexity of data.
You do not need data to see or say society has a hoarding of wealth and unfair distribution of wealth problem. Too much wealth is allowed to accumulate because we lack proper taxes on wealth. You can use data to support that fact, but you do not need data to see that everywhere. But for certain we can so easily get so caught up in the data of measurable costs so as not to see the immeasurable costs.
We don’t set limits on how much wealth one man can hoard because we lack the insight- the shared thinking model to see that no man has really earned that much more or deserves that much more than any man. We deny the importance of luck, flukes good and bad fortune. Our economic models fail to represent the world as interconnected interdependent webs as they are. Dynamic and organic not points of data. Rather our economic models simplify and exclude so much and amplify the mere measurable. We are in a technocratic specialized siloed bureaucratic nightmare or as John Ralston Saul titled his 1995 Massey Lecture, we are an Unconscious Civilization or as McGilchrist would say our right hemisphere- our bullshit detectors are atrophied by our unbalanced overuse of the left hemisphere which is a merely technician and not and observant philosopher.
Taxing wealth is the way to go. Most of the homeowners that I have talked to who enjoy the increase of values in their homes don’t stop to look at the fact their property taxes have not increased proportionally to the real increased values of their homes. That’s in Ontario. But even in BC where updated real values of homes appear on tax bills owners of million dollars home are paying too low taxes on them. Tapping into that is not to create a generational conflict but raising awareness and making unaffordable housing SEEN as too costly by all. It’s all about increasing the likelihood of all of us telling government that we need a freeze on property values until we can get property taxes better aligned with their real values. We would need to put in supports for people living in 2-million-dollar homes with incomes not able to support fair taxes on million-dollar homes. BUT imagine getting a tax bill that shows how much it is reduced- subsidized because of your low income or lack of other wealth. That takes the threat out of a bill being too high to pay-of losing your home but emphasizes real costs and values. Getting real is what is needed. Wake up calls should not be deemed as too controversial. If you own two homes, then you would not be subsidized on your housing taxes. That in itself would raise awareness and take us in the right direction. My ethics say that no man should own two homes when we have a housing crisis. That can’t be legislated but those that own two homes should pay full taxes-realistic taxes on the actual values of their homes. That would change mindsets and behaviors. Cottages are an extreme luxuries and should be taxed like extreme luxuries. In Ontario they are not.
This week Dorothy Mccabe mayor of Waterloo Ontario said "the property tax base is not built to pay for our needs, so we need a new social and fiscal funding framework... housing and homelessness is basically downloaded to us the property tax base" ...that just is not there. And I am sure Generation Squeeze is working on that.
Thanks Glen for jumping in here. Definitely it's time to start thinking differently about income vs wealth - and how home ownership is changing the way we should under 'class' in Canada. You're right that Gen Squeeze has long argued that it's time for a tax shift. In a nutshell, we need to reduce taxes on income, and increase taxes on unhealthy home values (and other things we don't want). You can check out this page for more: https://www.gensqueeze.ca/taxshift.
For those who want to get into the weeds, there's a link to our report from the Canadian Tax Journal.
Will this conversation be recorded? I'd like to hear it, but 'gone skiing'.
Yup, you'll be able to find it on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/GenerationSqueeze
Hope you have some good snow wherever you are Ray! It's been a rough ski season on the east coast...