On the Nature of Government

Wenzel would like to take an opportunity to explain our thoughts on the nature of government, as brought out by the recent income trust situation.

While we agree with Liberal leadership hopeful Michael Ignatieff that a government should not break campaign promises, we also appreciate that the Harper government managed to avoid the leakage aspect that dogged Martin administration financial reforms.

However, we do not shed a tear for the income trust exemptions. In a democracy, the people are sovereign, though the range of democracies equals the limits of sovereignty. A government exists to serve and benefit the sovereign. Taxes, as a chief source of government revenue, ought to be used primarily to fund services to benefit the sovereign, namely the people. When taxes are diverted from the public purse, through loopholes and such, we are depriving ourselves of benefits. Despite how the Harper Government went about closing the loops of income trusts, they acted correctly. Business interests should align with the interests of the people, which in turn should guide the interests of the state.

Finally, the Harper Government has done something we can applaud it for.