Okay Rob, let us play the tax-talk game. Again, I commend you for talking about the economy, which your leader fails to do. He is more interested in playing Kipling than Keynes. Maybe that is a mixed blessing.
I am sure you were particularly delighted to read this Toronto Sun story this morning. Seems Michael Ignatieff has engaged in his best double-speak when it comes to the sticky issue of taxation. Previously, in Ontario and British Columbia, he had rallied against the harmonized sales tax (HST) now he says it's all cool, at least according to Premier McGuinty: "We have secured Mr. Ignatieff's commitments to moving ahead with the single sales tax should he earn the privilege of serving Canadians in government."
So which is it now Rob? Does he support the HST or not? Or is Premier McGuinty lying?
We have all seen Iggy do this jig before. Carbon tax anyone? GST hike? Oh Iggy, your consistent inconsistency is staggering.
Now back to EI premiums. Rob has mounted the bulk of his arguments around Dale Orr's analysis. Well let us look at what Orr actually wrote. Orr in fact said this: "The update's forecast EI premiums exceed forecast EI benefits by a cumulative total of $12.9-billion over this period."
According to Rob he said, "In fact, the forecast surplus in EI of $19 billion over 2012/13 - 2014/15, significantly exceeds the EI deficits caused by the recession of 2009 and 2010." So which number is right? Are your facts accurate Rob?
If we go by Orr's real number - $12.9 billion - then the facts align perfectly with the quote Rob took issue with in the first place: "The Tories say this would be necessary to cover a deficit in existing collections of Employment Insurance premiums that is projected to hit $13.2-billion by 2011-12."
Lest we not forget the recouping of EI deficits on a go-forward basis is the law of the land, as passed by Parliament in Bill C-50 (2008), with the implicit support of the Liberals, based on the CEIFB act - section 127.