Talk:Canadian Taxpayers Federation

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I just stumbled across this article and it's pretty clear the "links to conservative parties" section needs to be cleaned up to remove POV. No sources are cited, and frankly, it reads like original research to support a political conspiracy theory. Clicking through the CTF's website, they seem to have been just as critical of conservative government excesses and policies as of liberal ones, e.g. [[1]]. I don't find it surprising that an organization focused on lowering the tax burden doesn't have may NDP party members on staff, but how relevant is that? Are there any independent third parties who allege bias on the part of this organization (beyond its mandate to reduce the size of government)? --Chris Thompson 01:03, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

I think this is rather self-promotional, but only because it's clearly been ripped from a website: "who we are" for example...?Super Callum! xxx 19:14, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Teddy Awards section

Section on Teddy Awards Controversy has been twice removed by Ckatz using the rational "too specific for encyclopedic article, is it even notable?". It's not clear what is meant by something being "too specific for encyclopedic article", but without doubt the item is "notable". It caused a media stir at the time, and resulted in follow-up reporting by the Winnipeg Free Press to point out the CTF's error and a subsequent withdrawl by the CTF. Besides being notable for the media attention it garnered, it's notable as an example of the CTF failing to properly confirm it's claims. Such an occasion is obviously notable for an organization which is relied upon for information by the mainstream media as much as the CTF is. Same section was also previously deleted by Fordham07, and subsequently reverted by Ground Zero with the comment "Wikipedia is not a platform for the CTF to promote itself. It is an encyclopedia. The article must be neutral". This further demonstrates that the information is legitimate. The only reason I can think of why someone would want it removed is self-interest. --165.23.247.49 18:02, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Please don't presume as to the intentions of other editors. The section needs a rewrite and copy edit for brevity, as it is way too long for what it describes. It is also only marginally notable as a stand-alone event. For an encyclopedia article, it needs a broader context - more examples, etc. --Ckatz^chat_spy 02:22, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

It was not "marginally notable". It was national news, with legs. It was also an event of significant general interest given the fact that the CTF is widely quoted in Canadian media and claims to present accurate accountability. In this particular case, the ball was badly dropped. Given their stated goals and mandate and pervasive presence in Canada, it is notable. I will research and include some more external links that demonstrate the notability of the event.24.76.254.144 03:24, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Please quote me correctly - I said "marginally notable as a stand-alone event." The section needs to be more than just a single event - there should be more development, mention of whether or not this is an isolated incident, etc. I'll say again, as well, that it definitely needs a copy edit as it is far too long in comparison to the article. --Ckatz^chat_spy 05:16, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Copy edit is done - removed non-encyclopedic text, added numerous internal links, formated refs, found ref. for Winnipeg Free Press story. Could still use development. --Ckatz^chat_spy 06:20, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Size of Government and Accountability

I have no idea what accountability means in reference to the CTF. I know it considers limits of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions per a person too low at both the federal and provincial level, and also that it thinks banning corporate and union donations is some kind of travesty, so I can say with reasonable certainty what kind of accountable government it is not interested in. I know it is a watchdog for the mis-use of money, but i believe we cover that when we talk about waste.

Also if one does a google search for "size of government site:taxpayer.com" one finds 111 hits, 25 unique hits and every single one of them is either detracting increases in the size of government or lauding decreases. For a frame of reference there are about 667 unique hits for site:taxpayer.com and 6530 among all hits. The second last major round of federal tax cuts in this Country, while supported by 80% of Canadians had 57% of Canadians claim the money would have been better spent on a national daycare program while 55% said it would be better spent on greenhouse reduction[2]. Goods & Services TAX is a sales TAX PAID by nearly every adult CANADIAN. In addition about two to three times a year a poll will come out on whether or not Canadians would be willing to have a slight tax increase to 'fix' the healthcare system: I have yet to see a majority say no. There is usually a corresponding question about forgoing tax cuts, which almost always garners more than 60% support. The CTF's response to one study showing the combined tax rate of Canadians earning less than 14,000 were higher than those earning over 265,000 was that, that a tax load of ovr 30% combined(sales tax, property tax, income tax, gas tax, etc., etc.) was too high for any group, and it would bring about an unfair emphasis on taxing the rich("I think it's convenient to blame the so-called rich")[3]. I submit therefore that a government that is accountable would behave in a vastly different way then the CTF's perscriptions, but as an organization interested in 'reducing the size of government' the CTF is an excellent fit Jethro 82 (talk) 19:05, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Offices in the Capitals

I removed the references to "offices in the capital cities of..." and replaced it with the actual names of the cities. The old wording indicated that there is an office in Victoria; but the BC office is in Vancouver. 154.20.164.82 (talk) 22:11, 5 June 2008 (UTC)