THE GREAT REVENUE ROBBERY - New Canadian book

Stop the tax scam and save Canada, say economists and analysts

New book,The Great Revenue Robbery, calls for fair tax system

Austerity is a bitter pill to swallow. But it is even more galling when we realize that it is the wrong medicine for the economy.  So-called experts say that the benefits of a radical free market agenda will trickle down to regular families. 

Meanwhile, the wealth and income in this country are increasingly concentrated in the hands of the top 1per cent, household debt is at an all-time high, poverty is at unacceptable levels, and the gap between rich and poor is an absolute canyon. Corporate executives are paying themselves multimillion-dollar salaries and bonuses while exploiting tax loopholes, and bankers are being bailed out with our tax dollars. But the tide is turning. Faced with growing inequality and cutback to government programs, public opinion polls show strong support for tax fairness, including raising taxes on the rich and on corporations.

The Great Revenue Robbery shows us how tax policy can help rebuild our social programs, reduce the gap between rich and poor, restore environmental respon sibility, and revitalize our democracy.

Contents:

-  Prologue by James Clancy

-  Introduction: Tax Fairness Key to Rebuilding Canada by Dennis Howlett

-  Passing On the Torch by Trish Hennessy

-  Pushing the Envelope: The Overton Window and the Left by Diana Gibson

-  The Power of Conventional Thinking: Canada’s Media Join the Anti-Tax Movement by Richard Swift

-  The Trouble with Tax Havens: Whose Shelter? Whose Storm? by Peter Gillespie

-  The Failure of Corporate Tax Cuts to Stimulate Business Investment Spending by Jim Stanford

-  Financial Transaction Taxes: The Battle for a Small but Important Tax by Toby Sanger

-  Taxes and Ecological Justice?  By Joe Gunn

-  Tax Justice and the Civil Economy by John Restakis

-  Conclusion: The Way Out of This Mess by Murray Dobbin

Praise for the Book

“For decades,the right has flooded the airwaves and taken over the political podiums with its anti-taxhysteria. But Canadians are waking up to the simple truth that taxes are the price we pay for civilization, and that scrimping on taxes means scrimping on civilization. This collection of compelling essays deconstructs the misinformation spewing out of right-wing think tanks and media outlets, and reminds us that a far bettersocial order is tantalizingly within reach.”

~ Linda McQuaig, author and journalist

“The Great Revenue Robbery is a rallying cry for a just society. Special-interest lobbying has hollowed out the tax system. Corporations and wealthy elites have shifted their wealth and income to tax havens, and the mainstream media have polluted democratic politics with a trenchantly anti-tax agenda. This book explores this attack on tax and identifies potential progressive counterattacks, for example through financial transaction taxes, environmental taxes, and tackling tax havens. As the climate and economic crises deepen, the case for progressive taxes becomes more compelling by the day. Aux armes citoyens!”

~ John Christensen,

director, Tax Justice Network

“Over the past thirty years the prevailing neo-liberal ideology has framed taxes as fundamentally illegitimate. In exposing this big lie,The Great Revenue Robberycompellingly demonstrates the crucial and varied role oftaxes in a flourishing democracy. If you want to understand what went wrong in Canadian public policy andhow it can be fixed, you should read this book.”

~Neil Brooks,

professor of tax law and co-author ofThe Trouble with Billionaires

“This is a welcome critique of conventional economic wisdom. If you thought tax cuts would solve all of your problems, read The Great Revenue Robbery and think again.”

~Thomas Walkom, political columnist, Toronto Star

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