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So it seems the Governor General voted Liberal. Here’s the first point he makes in the throne speech’s first policy paragraph: “The government will, as an immediate priority, deliver a tax cut for the middle class. This is the fair thing to do, and the smart thing to do for Canada’s economy.”

The first sentence is fine. It tells us, factually, what the new government’s plans are (even if “middle class” is amorphous). That’s what the speech is supposed to do. It’s the next bit that’s the problem. “This is the fair thing to do, and the smart thing to do for Canada’s economy.” Really? The other two major parties in the election, who together out-polled the Liberals, weren’t offering this particular tax cut, which they obviously didn’t think was fair or smart. People in the non-middle classes probably don’t think that, either.

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Is a middle-class tax cut really good for the economy? Economists do think tax cuts stimulate economic activity. If you reduce income taxes, people have an incentive to earn more income, which they do by working or investing more. The Liberal cuts aren’t big — $670 max — but every little bit helps. On the other hand (economists’ favourite phrase), tax cuts also raise government debt. That’s not always good for the economy. And middle-class taxes may not be the best ones to cut if your focus is the economy. Sorry to have to say it, but evidence suggests the biggest economic bang for the buck comes from cutting upper-income taxes. In any case, the Governor General is not an economist — he’s a lawyer and university professor and president by training — so do we really care what he thinks is good for the economy?