BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is in response to 'LETTER: MP says new luxury tax will 'devastate' manufacturing,' published June 9.
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As a society I believe we need to be encouraging efforts to move to a more sustainable lifestyle and a more sustainable economy. There are great examples of this – the move to electric vehicles, the harnessing of renewable energy sources, the reduction in the use of paper/plastics, a growing list of companies and organizations striving to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Perhaps these industries that are impacted by “luxury taxes” (or one might argue these are taxes on over consumption) need to reflect and realign their businesses, so they are part of the more sustainable economy of the future.
There is a local recreational equipment dealer that has ads on the radio and their pitch line is something like “we have everything you want, but nothing you need.” I think that says it all when it comes to over-consumption and self indulgence.
Hard to feel too sorry for someone who has a $250,000 or $1-million boat, drives a Lamborghini, vacations in a $250,000 motorhome or has their own aircraft. Hard to believe a luxury tax would really be a deal breaker for these folks.
Although my luxury boats are a Kevlar canoe and a used 20-foot sailboat, I must admit I am guilty of over-consumption in some respects, too. I drive a F150 (not close to $100K), but clearly more vehicle than I really need. So should I pay a charge for my over-consumption? Likely. Guilty of going on vacations and flying to destinations, too.
But I have often wondered whether there should be a mandatory carbon offset requirement for at least vacation/non-essential air travel.
So, as we move to a more sustainable, carbon-neutral world there will need to be many changes, including redeployment of jobs and employment from less sustainable sectors to more sustainable sectors and businesses.
So yes, there may be job loss in the high-end boat market and that is just part of the economic transition. Our government should be supporting those that are moving us forward towards a more sustainable future and taking other measures, like a luxury tax on over-consumption, on products that have a disproportionate carbon footprint or other detrimental impact on our environment.
So, I am all for maintaining and creating good quality manufacturing or other quality jobs. But the focus and end game need to be on achieving overall job growth by creating jobs in more sustainable sectors and businesses.
Doug Varty
Oro-Medonte Township
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