If you own a small business or a farm and you get a chance to buttonhole your MP this summer, let him or her know the folks back home aren’t happy with the Liberals’ proposed changes to the way small business income is taxed.

No, not happy. Not one little bit.

Tell your MP in no uncertain terms, as he or she flips burgers or pancakes, that if Finance Minister Bill Morneau goes ahead with his plan to increase income taxes on entrepreneurs and farmers by 80 to 100%, you will never vote Liberal again. Ever.

Morneau and his tax strategists at Finance Canada clearly see most small business owners as tax cheats, conniving anti-Canadians whose goal is to skip out on their fair share.

The Liberals’ proposed changes would not only send small business owners’ tax burdens soaring, but would make transferring your farm or business to your kids so expensive, few parents could afford it.

The proposals are clear evidence that class envy, petty-mindedness and misinformation are the defaults in Liberal-land.

The Finance Minister launches consultations on tax planning using private corporations. Read more: https://t.co/V70xFbYGrCpic.twitter.com/NKDU3X5AlX — FinanceCanada (@FinanceCanada) July 18, 2017

Morneau and his bureaucrats seem to want all income taxed at the same levels – incomes paid from salaries as well as self-employment income.

And perhaps that sounds “fair” to you. (Good god, the word “fair” is rapidly becoming my least favourite four-letter word.”)

But what risks do salaried employees take that are equivalent to the risks taken by people who start their own companies? Do they pay their own employees? Rent their own office or store space? Pay for their own retirements, medical and dental expenses, and other perks?

Do they risk loss of income if they take a sick day or a vacation?

It’s easy enough to see how a bunch of overpaid civil servants in the mental silos of Ottawa can look at the fact that they paid $80,000 in taxes on the $220,000 they earned last year and some small business owners paid only $50,000 or less on the same nominal amount and think that’s “unfair.”

But only in Ottawa or one of the provincial capitals would the reality behind this difference fail to impress policymakers – or seemingly even make the faintest impressions on their public-sector minds.

We're making sure that every Canadian pays their fair share of tax & I want your help to make sure we get it right: https://t.co/KQdcwrQf8Dpic.twitter.com/NmYp0UMY5u — Bill Morneau (@Bill_Morneau) August 2, 2017

For instance, small business owners typically pay tax twice, first when their business earns money from sales and then again when they withdraw money from the company for their personal use.

This isn’t necessarily double taxation, but it means the government is squeezing more out of business owners than Morneau and his flunkies will admit.

And here’s another example of how clueless the Finance Canada strategists seems to be: Even before Morneau’s proposed changes, Canada already had one of the highest effective tax rates on business investment in the G7.

Two years ago, Morneau jacked up the rate on investment income over $202,000 from 29% to 34%. That’s an increase of over 17%.

I don’t recall civil servants earning over $202,000 being hit with a similar increase. Where’s the “fairness” in that?

Also in Morneau’s July proposal were changes to the lifetime capital gains exemptions that would severely limit how much of a farm or small business could be inherited without incurring huge taxes. The limits are so severe that many accountants and tax lawyers are speculating that families will no longer be encouraged to will the family farm or business to their children.

Canadian farmers, ranchers, fishermen and entrepreneurs have only until October 2 to object to this enormous tax grab.

But convincing the Liberals to reverse themselves won’t be easy. Since long before he became prime minister, Justin Trudeau has seen small businesses as nothing more than shells in which to hide money from the taxman.