Culture

Former Harper aide lays out PM's tax cut logic

by mike_yvr | November 23, 2008 at 02:04 pm

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The opposition is concerned that the Harper conservatives will use the current economic crisis to cut public services.

Here's a frank assessment -- from a former top aide -- of the prime minister's approach to taxes and govenrment spending.

"I'm hopeful there will be some ideologically-driven, neo-conservative cuts to government," political scientist Tom Flanagan, a former chief of staff to Harper, said in an interview.

Such cuts, he added, would be consistent with Harper's long-term goal of reducing the size and scope of government.

"I think that's always been sort of the long-term plan, the way that Stephen was going about it of first depriving the government of surpluses through cutting taxes . . . You get rid of the surpluses and then it makes it easier to make some expenditure reductions."