November 16, 2013

Canada Revenue Agency

Technology Centre

875 Heron Road

Ottawa, ON K1A 1B1

Dear Canada Revenue Agency and “Receiver General” (what a job title; all you do is receive!),

I am writing to you in regards to my Notice of Reassessment. According to you, I owe you $761.73. I have enclosed a cheque of that amount.

However, please do not interpret my compliance as an endorsement of your policies and practices. I do not recognize the Federal Income Tax as a legitimate tax or a moral tax. Taxation is by definition non-consensual, and I consider consent to be one of the most important values a truly free society can have. While I can conceit to a limited level of taxation to maintain a limited government (to protect individual rights), the sense of proportion of our current tax system is, I would argue, out of control. For instance, I make under $20,000 a year, so you can go ahead and assume I need to keep most of that money, especially considering the ever-rising cost of living in Toronto.

A progressive and economically sound tax system would aim to let people keep as much of their money as possible. There is also the moral issue to consider of whether or not it is right and good to tax people for working. I say it is NOT. When I work to earn money, is it my money or isn’t it? On what authority does the government presume to decide how much of it I can keep? Does your issuance of the currency entitle you to take it back from people and spend it as you please?

I will quote Ron Paul, who, though speaking about the American Federal Income Tax, makes valid points that apply to Canada:

The harmful effects of the income tax are obvious. First and foremost, it has enabled government to expand far beyond its proper constitutional limits, regulating virtually every aspect of our lives. It has given government a claim on our lives and work, destroying our privacy in the process. It takes billions of dollars out of the legitimate private economy, with most Americans giving more than a third of everything they make to the federal government. This economic drain destroys jobs and penalizes productive behavior. The ridiculous complexity of the tax laws makes compliance a nightmare for both individuals and businesses.

There is much more to say on this issue, and I won’t aim to exhaust the subject in one letter. The point of this letter is merely to express my disdain about having to surrender $761.73 of my hard-earned money, as they say, to the Government of Canada.

Governments, as I’m sure you know, have a legal monopoly on the use of force. What a way to squeeze people out of their money: by threatening to seize property and upend their lives. Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s Office operates on $10,000,000 a year with no accountability.

I want my money back!

Sincerely,

Chris Michael Burns,

Your friendly neighbourhood vegan, bisexual, socially liberal, fiscal conservative.

Peace and love to you, “Tax Man”.

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Chris Michael Burns is an aspiring screenwriter and novelist in Toronto who is currently working on a novella.

He prefers dialectic over debate.

Read  previous writings by Chris Michael Burns published on blackcoffeepoet.com : 

A Ford Adversary Opposes Calls For Mayor’s Resignation

Why Cycling Is A Political Act

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