The new Provincial Sales Tax is a reflection of a regressive and racist mentality
Nipawin - April 2, 2000 - By:Mario deSantis
regressive and racist mentality	This morning, as I was reading the budget address(1), I came across two of Eric Cline's passages
	and I began to laugh thinking about the regressive and racist mentality at the core of Cline's Big
	Brain. These two passages refer to our provincial sales tax, that is the broadening of its base to
	include many more items, and its extension to off-reserve purchases by First Nations people.
	Timothy Shire has just published the excellent article "Education and Health Tax: Wider Based
	and Breaks the Treaties(2)" and I became overcome by emotion when I realized that my today's
	thoughts overlapped with his. However, my perception on the provincial sales tax has a kind of
	humorous slant which blends very well with the serious writing of Shire's article.
under-utilization of our sales tax	Cline introduces the changes to our provincial sales tax by stating "Our provincial sales tax is
	currently levied at the lowest rate in Canada and on the narrowest consumer base. This
	under-utilization of our sales tax is a primary cause for high personal income tax rates.
	Therefore, the sales tax rate will remain at six per cent, and the sales tax base will be
	broadened to include items taxed elsewhere." Now refer to the word under-utilization, and
	you reader tell me if this Big Brain of Eric Cline doesn't belong to our Mausoleum(3) being
	built in Saskatoon.
low income people in Saskatchewan	Since when is a tax, which is a levy or a burden to people ever under-utilized? It really takes
	the reductionist and legal eloquence of Eric Cline to highlight the regressive mentality of this
	government. Let us go on with the next passage "The introduction of a sales tax rebate to all
	low income people in Saskatchewan also makes it appropriate to examine past practices...
	Therefore, effective midnight tonight, the provincial sales tax will be extended to off-reserve
	purchases by First Nations people." This passage reflects the racist mentality of Honourable
	Eric Cline.
provocative and offensive language	Instead to be proud of our cultural diversities, Cline labels our natives as a bunch of low income
	people who can now pay the provincial sales tax since there is now a sales tax rebate for low
	income people. This is an absurdity, a provocative and offensive language reflecting the racist
	mentality of this government. Rightly so, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians has filed
	papers in court to challenge the government's extension of the sales tax to natives, and
	Timothy Shire has called this legal challenge "The Indian War of 2000."
	While Eric Cline has presented the Saskatchewan's first Budget of the 21st century, Timothy
	Shire has stated that the provincial sales tax "could very well take us back to 1885."
---------------Endnotes:
	Quote by Donella Meadows "challenging a paradigm is not a part-time job. It is not sufficient to make your point once and then blame the world for not getting it. The world has a vested interest in, a commitment to, not getting it. The point has to be made patiently and repeatedly, day after day after day" ftp://sysdyn.mit.edu/ftp/sdep/Roadmaps/RM1/D-4143-1.pdf   http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows/default.htm
1. - -	Budget Address: A Plan for Growth and Opportunity, Honourable Eric Cline, Minister of Finance, Government of Saskatchewan, March, 2000 http://www.gov.sk.ca/finance/budget/budget00/2000papers.htm
2. -	Education and Health Tax: Wider Based and Breaks the Treaties, by Timothy W. Shire, April 1, 2000
3. -	The U of S Synchrotron: A Mausoleum for a Museum Mentality, by Mario deSantis, November 16, 1999

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