Advice at tax time: You could save tens!

Dear Justin Trudeau:

We know that you are a little light in the loafers when it comes to policy, and given I am one of the editors of the original Red Book (true story!), I have a policy idea for you.

It will save Canadians money once a year, and it will make everyone's life a lot simpler.

This weekend, many Canadians will be gathering up their tax files and installing Turbo Tax, then e-filing their taxes. Wait. Let's rewind. This time of year, everyone will be scrambling to get themselves to a big box store and get the cheapest version there is of Turbo Tax (80-140 bucks). Alternatively, they will be getting themselves to a tax preparer (accountant, Money Mart, H&R Block) and handing over boxes of receipts. Then somebody will e-file it for them, and give them a juicy refund right on the spot. Or in Nick's case, they will cheerfully announce that the government is taking their refund for pay off back debt. That will be fifty bucks!

Sigh.

I believe that this entire process is unnecessary.

Has no one EVER asked why we have to do this dance every year?

Why do we need to shell out all this money to third parties to do our taxes? It makes no sense. It's an absolute rip-off. Sure, if you are a loser and only make minimum wage, you could just download the basic forms, or pick them up at the post office, but many of us have more complicated tax forms which require a little additional TLC.

I'm talking anyone in small business.

Which is most of us.

So. If I were leader of the Liberal Party, I would propose that, beginning whenever, that the Government of Canada provide the tax software on a FREE DOWNLOAD thus saving the average Canadian household approximately one hundred dollars every year.

The FREE DOWNLOAD would be available to those who agree to E-file their taxes, thereby ensuring more Canadians file correctly and on-time.

Now, the Government might argue that this would, in fact, cost more money and would require it to hire back all those Canada Revenue Agency workers it just fired. (That's what snitches are for!)

I say, nonsense.

The Government of Canada has to provide these files to the multinationals that are making zillions off of you and me. And I'm sure these tax preparers have to pay a hefty amount to the Government to get the files. I say that means the Government of Canada is giving kickbacks to multinationals instead of providing tax savings to Canadians.

And that just ain't right in this corner of the Tim Horton world.

One of the issues for some of us is that we are so totally broke and are not getting any benefit whatsoever from Stephen Harper's Economic Action Plan. So broke that we can't afford the damned software to do our taxes.

Me, I'm filing with last year's software. Let them figure it out.

Everybody files taxes, so everybody would benefit from this policy change except for rich people, drunks, drug addicts, illiterates, sick people, cheaters and those low lifes who are too busy figuring out whether to use the faucet or the scissors to defeat Bowser in Paper Mario Sticker Party for the DS to bother with their taxes. Nothing you can do about these lameos and unfortunates.

I guarantee this tax change will be a hit.

At least in this household.

There is no reason that the Government should make a person shell out money to do their taxes.

No reason.

Justin, I am available for any further advice on your Party platform or your image.

Okay, here's another free one. Stop telling people Quebecers are better than other Canadians.

The Tories are right.

It just pisses us off.

BTW, here is the rest of my policy team!