Alberta Politics Thread v2

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Yeah, at least in Canada, I don't see the. current corporate tax rate as making Alberta uncompetitive (I get that there is an American component to compete with). It just seems like a bizarre place to cut revenue that you'd need to regain through less popular measures.

It's not an egregious proposal if income tax rates go up to compensate, but I have a hard time seeing the UCP proposing that.

Cutting the rate doesn't guarantee less revenue.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

That’s an interesting tweet, it manages to combine pushing trickle down economics, a logo that says “Ralph vs Rachel” and a graph which shows zero data relating to one of those two individuals.

that and the infrastructure deficit Ralph left us with that force us to bankrupt the heritage fund, and basically ruined a string of successors plus a party sitting on an 80% majority.

The reality is we will be taxed, or we will be creating bigger problems for the future, and to thing Oil royalties will pull us out of those problems in 20 year is willful ignorance of a global climate searching for any excuse and means to drop the oil habit.

If not the corporations than the capital gains or the people. The advantage of corporate taxes are they only hit those who earn money, they are redistributive by avoiding those without any capital assets, and the encourage spending by putting upwards pressure on prices. I think it is good to tread very carefully if lowering that tax, and even more carefully if you have no intention of replacing that revenue.

If not the Carbon tax then a sales tax.
Personally i'm for the carbon tax over a sales tax. I think both taxes are very regressive, hitting the disposable income of the poor at a higher rate then the rich. (the rich spend more of there money out of province and save more of their money avoiding the tax). But if we will be stuck with one, i would rather have the one that at least has a philosophic justification i can understand, and an end point (if we ever do reach that net zero society). What i currently do not like about it is the rebates (rebates are always bad, just raise the personal exemption, i know its politically great to send people checks but why do we need such stupid complicated tax plans) and the stupid vans driving around town changing peoples light bulbs (invest in infrastructure not consumables, this ones not even hard to figure out).

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

Cutting the rate doesn't guarantee less revenue.

You’re right it doesn’t. It also doesn’t guarantee more revenue, which scenario do you think is more likely to occur as a result of it?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

That’s an interesting tweet, it manages to combine pushing trickle down economics, a logo that says “Ralph vs Rachel” and a graph which shows zero data relating to one of those two individuals.

He authored a book called Ralph verses Rachel: A tale of 2 Premiers. May have to get the book as it might be a good read.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1102711885143535617

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Dion

https://twitter.com/user/status/1102704223509073921

Is the insinuation that Klein's low taxes somehow make Kenney's recent proclamation reasonable? Because even though Klein cut business taxes, he never went to the level Kenney is saying.






https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...erta-1.5041862

In fact, for almost his entire time in office corporate taxes were higher than they are now.

[Northendzone]

saw someone mentioning on twitter how we will be receiving heating bills complete with carbon tax levy in the "mail" right around the time the writ should be dropping

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

saw someone mentioning on twitter how we will be receiving heating bills complete with carbon tax levy in the "mail" right around the time the writ should be dropping

I'm not sure what this means, we receive one every month with the carbon tax on it. Do they mean the increase shows up at election time?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

saw someone mentioning on twitter how we will be receiving heating bills complete with carbon tax levy in the "mail" right around the time the writ should be dropping

I think it’s referring to this cold February heating bill.

[Locke]

Alberta’s NDP government has done it again — it has appointed an enemy of Alberta’s oil and gas industry to oversee it, regulate it and advise on it.

Ed Whittingham — the former executive director of the Pembina Institute from 2011 to 2017 — was appointed to a five-year, part-time, $76,500 per year directorship at Alberta’s Energy Regulator (AER)

According to Vivian Krause, the Vancouver-based researcher who has followed the money trail and uncovered the concerted foreign Tar Sands Campaign to keep Alberta’s oil from reaching tide-water, Pembina has accepted almost $8 million of foreign funding from U.S. foundations — groups such as the Tides Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Oak Foundation, and other U.S. organizations under the auspices of the Tar Sands Campaign, which had the stated aim of “landlocking” Alberta’s oilsands by preventing any pipelines from being built.

However, in an email sent last week prior to the AER gag order, Whittingham wrote: “I reject in the strongest terms possible accusations by some that I am ‘an anti-oil activist.’”

Oddly enough, Krause agrees with Whittingham in a facetious kind of way.

“I agree that he’s not an anti-oil activist,” said Krause,


“I would categorize Ed Whittingham as a pro-foreign oil activist. His activism has been a huge competitive advantage for the American oil industry,” she said, adding that during the 10-year span of the Tar Sands Campaign, U.S. oil output has doubled.

“There is nothing anti-oil about the Tar Sands Campaign, absolutely nothing. None of those U.S. funders, not one of these activists, like Ed Whittingham, are anti-oil. They may say they are but if you look at their actions they haven’t kept one barrel of oil in the ground. All they’ve done is shift where the oil is produced, from an ethical place like Alberta to the Middle East and the United States,” she added.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...ergy-regulator

I like her.

NDP appoint another clown to a prominent position. I wonder what they owe him.

He'd be wise to ask for his salary up front.

[Ozy_Flame]

UCP sinking to a new low:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1102768192798121985

This is creepy and weird, and social media is having a field day. Maybe the UCP should close the allegation put forward by Gill to the RCMP before doing creepy stuff like this.

Gill is an independent, he can meet with whom he wants. Hell, even the UCP and NDP talk and vote on the same things sometimes in the Leg.

Man that party gives me the creeps.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Dion

He authored a book called Ralph verses Rachel: A tale of 2 Premiers. May have to get the book as it might be a good read.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1102711885143535617

I’ve read some articles by Mark Milke. I find the cherry picking of data method that he uses to push his narrative insufferable. I think I’ll pass on his book.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

UCP sinking to a new low:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1102768192798121985

This is creepy and weird, and social media is having a field day. Maybe the UCP should close the allegation put forward by Gill to the RCMP before doing creepy stuff like this.

Gill is an independent, he can meet with whom he wants. Hell, even the UCP and NDP talk and vote on the same things sometimes in the Leg.

Man that party gives me the creeps.

at least Mandel was cleared to run.
when election time comes, I'll give their platform a good read.

I can't hold my nose and vote for the NDP or the UCP.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

I’ve read some articles by Mark Milke. I find the cherry picking of data method that he uses to push his narrative insufferable. I think I’ll pass on his book.

Fine! The I won't send you my copy when i'm done.

[CaptainCrunch]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1103040204787539968

https://twitter.com/user/status/1103040781735014400


More municipal then provincial but part of the discussion

[burn_this_city]

That graph shows that even another boom like 2009-2014 wouldn't absorb all that office space. It could take 20 years of essentially zero downtown commercial construction to fill that space.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

That graph shows that even another boom like 2009-2014 wouldn't absorb all that office space. It could take 20 years of essentially zero downtown commercial construction to fill that space.

Obviously this is the governments fault.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Obviously this is the governments fault.

Sure.

I wonder if shadow vacancy is included in those numbers.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

That graph shows that even another boom like 2009-2014 wouldn't absorb all that office space. It could take 20 years of essentially zero downtown commercial construction to fill that space.

I think as a society we might need to come to terms with re-imagining what commercial real estate looks like as we make further advancements in technology and move to more digital and remote workplace solutions. I don't think we're at the point where we can completely do away with traditional offices, but we're probably not more than 10-15 years away from a large shift away from them.

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Sure.

I wonder if shadow vacancy is included in those numbers.

Also worth considering is a reduction in occupation intensity (or whatever you might call it). Our office used to house 20+ full-time employees that swelled to 30+ in the winter. We were double bunked in terms of people in offices and had evening and weekend shifts.

We have 10 employees in the same space now and are keenly awaiting the end of our lease so we can look at downsizing.

[burn_this_city]

We're in the same boat, and have shed multiple floors in the last few years.