A single act of courage is needed to fix Canada's tax system, but this government won't do it

financialpost.com:

Has the overall Canadian tax system hit a tipping point? I’ve been concerned about this for quite some time and while I try hard not to cry wolf, I try to shine some light on some very serious concerns.

What are some of those concerns? There are many, but let’s highlight some of the bigger and most recent ones.

You know there’s a problem when seasoned tax specialists consistently struggle with new legislation. Combine this with the fact that anyone can call themselves a “tax specialist” (when they’re not and so the public is left to fend for themselves), and the consequences of being wrong are not good. The development of a rigorous tax designation to protect the public would be a step in the right direction, but this has unfortunately had a choppy history and is not likely to happen anytime soon.

Accountants dominate the tax profession in Canada, but there is a significant shortage of them, with many qualified candidates not being attracted to the challenges of accounting as a career. This is causing significant holes in the ability to properly administer the rigorous demands of the tax administration as well as properly and efficiently dispense tax advice. This will likely continue until the profession deals with these issues head-on.

Legislation that treats otherwise honest Canadians in a fashion that is extremely punitive does not encourage them to comply and can actually do the opposite. For example, the new legislation on short-term rentals (which will deny otherwise legitimate expense deductions against rental income in areas that prohibit such activity) is a great example. This kind of legislation is so obviously designed to be a short-term political “win” for the government and make them look good to their voter