Tinfoil Hats – Take Them Off, You Look Ridiculous

I have met more than a few people who I would classify as being wearers of Tinfoil hats. You know the type of people who think the government is scanning their brain, and that the aliens are going to find them and harvest their organs unless they are “off the grid”. These same people are afraid of the CRA “knowing” how much money they have, where they do their banking, knowing where they live, etc., and think that any amount of tax is too much.

The truth is that in this day of computers, electronic banking, ATM’s, credit ratings, the internet, etc, this information can be found by your average four year-old with an internet connection and a “toy” computer from Toys R US (although most 4 year olds have next gen smart phones (and I-5 laptops), and know how to use them better than their parents). Not to mention that if you send the government a cheque or electronic payment (CRA doesn’t accept credit cards) they have your banking information. There are also plenty of computer savvy four year-olds available if the CRA really want to find out where you are and where your money is “hidden”.

Now I am not saying there are no aliens (jury is still out on that), and I am not saying that there is proof JFK was killed by L.H. Oswald acting alone. But that aside the CRA is not scanning your brain. If you don’t want the CRA to come and take your money, or cause you any kind of grief, then file your taxes on time, and pay your tax bills on time.

The silly notions out there like “natural person”, “taxes were a war measures act, and the war is over”, “taxes are illegal”, “taxes violate human rights”, “the government is illegitimate”, or any of the myriad of other stupid things you may hear are going to get you into more trouble than you want to deal with. Like it or not taxes pay for roads, hospitals, transit, police, fire, ambulance, recreation centres, community centres, utilities and electricity infrastructure, and many, many other things that we all like and take for granted.

If you think you are special and the rest of us are all sheep having our brains drained by the aliens, then put your tinfoil hat back on move to the Arctic Circle (I don’t want you driving on my roads, using my hospital, or benefiting from my tax dollars) and live like a Neanderthal hunting for meat with a club, growing your own vegetables, and rubbing sticks (or banging rocks) together to make fire. Otherwise, “put a sock in it, file and pay your taxes on time and enjoy all the benefits that our tax dollars pay for”.

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