Whitehouse Blasts Gov't on Taxes, Entitlements, Transparency

Opposition Leader Sheldon Whitehouse delivered a strong critique before parliament of the government's new tax bill and its implications for the upcoming federal budget. Tied into his chastisement was a broader criticism of the government's lack of transparency.
Originally posted by Sheldon Whitehouse:
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to reflect on the events of this past week. Some legislation was introduced, and emotions got fairly high. I have some comments to make about this tax plan in particular but also about the administration thus far in general. But first, I want to make clear that I understand that the transition into government isn't an easy one to make. Though the Chancellor might claim that his party's service during the war government prepared him for the job, the truth is that that supporting role pales in comparison to actually being in charge of the entire operation. The buck stops, so they say, at the top. And it is in recognition of this reality that I have hesitated to lunge at the opportunity to attack this administration until concrete policy proposals are made. Well, such a proposal has been made, and I find myself unimpressed.
Granted, of course, that this government campaigned on tax cuts. We expected tax cuts when this cabinet was formed. But when the Conservatives' whip talks in this chamber about how this tax reform bill should be no surprise, that gentleman is being completely disingenuous. We expected tax cuts, Mr. Speaker, but what they gave us is a reduction by nearly 30% of the taxes owed by the very highest tax bracket. Far be it from me to say that tax cuts are evil and we should never consider giving people a break - in fact, many in my party would have liked to see modest middle-income tax cuts on individuals. But when I talk to the more conservative elements in my party, they absolutely reel in horror when they see this slash-and-burn nightmare, which, by our fast estimates, are expected to increase the deficit by some 40 billion fall. And that's not even to speak of the fact that the vast majority of benefits of these cuts go to those who already live comfortably. Is it not our job to raise up the lowly, rather than those who are already quite fine?
But of course, the real tragedy in all this isn't the tax cuts themselves, but the implications of them. Despite the fact that this government did not call for a balanced budget during the campaign or in its published programme, we have seen the so-called "Economic Bill of Rights", which I've already made myself very clear on. But in that document, there was a clause calling for mandatory balanced budget. Well now that's very interesting. We've now set ourselves up at a roughly 240 billion fall deficit if this tax bill passes - which it is poised to do in this chamber - and a government pledging to erase every last fall of that red ink. That's not even counting the seemingly likely scenario that the government tries to repeal the Excise Duties Tax and Inheritance Tax. I've said it before and I'll say it again: you don't get something from nothing. And despite the fact that this government, contrary to what perhaps they'd like to pretend, most decidedly did not campaign on cutting our entitlements, it now seems to be an inevitable conclusion. And to this day, Mr. Speaker, we still don't have any Earthly clue what exactly is on the chopping block for this government. You'd think they'd have the courtesy to let parliament - and by the way, the citizens of the Empire - know which programs they'll be slashing to pay for their extravagant givaway to the top three tax brackets - but you'd be wrong.
Honorable ladies and gentlemen of this chamber, the time has come for this administration to stop hiding its agenda. The Chancellor ought to tell us how he's going to close our defecit in no vague terms. And while he's at it, he can start informing us of exactly what he plans for Hastiga and Veldunium, beyond the crumbs that we've been given so far, that 'they shall remain part of the Empire, yet it will be entirely new and not like the Straits'. It's time this government is honest about all of its policies, in fact, so that the people and parliament are given the basic respect of knowing what to expect from this government instead of being left guessing every step along the way. I yield, Mr. Speaker.
Category:The Imperial Constitution