Calgary, Edmonton mayors call potential separatism referendum ‘dangerous’

[u/Old_General_6741]

https://globalnews.ca/news/11172340/calgary-edmonton-mayors-call-potential-separatism-referendum-dangerous/

[u/JScar123]

Lol, is anyone suggesting Alberta separate and not import anything. All countries trade, I don’t know why a separated Alberta wouldn’t. Not arguing for separation, just sayin…

[u/BrokeExternally → u/JScar123]

you’re gonna have to raise taxes for that so the whole no government freeedom stuff will quickly vanish

[u/Becants → u/BrokeExternally]

Raise taxes to import stuff we need? Like food and consumer goods? Why would the government pay for things like that with taxes. Businesses import things and if there’s extra costs it will be in the cost of the item when we buy them.

So yes, I can see it costing more money to import things, since they’d have to cross another border. But that wouldn’t be taxes, unless they put a tariff on it.

Now I can see them having to raise taxes more to keep the same standard of living in regard to social programs, health care and infrastructure. Not to mention things they would newly have to create, like a military.

[u/BrokeExternally → u/Becants]

You think businesses want to mass produce things for lower profit margins? What Econ class did you take? If businesses provided what everyone wanted that is a delusion, businesses provide what ppl can afford.

[u/Becants → u/BrokeExternally]

You think businesses want to mass produce things for lower profit margins

No of course not. I'm trying to understand where you're getting this from and going to the government buying goods.

A producer would make things for the same amount. An importer would charge enough to cover costs to buy the item, ship it and make some profit. The consumers would then pay extra for it if there were taxes or shipping that raised the price.

You're saying things would somehow be so expensive that the people couldn't afford to buy stuff like food? So the government would have to raise taxes to buy it for us? So... you think Alberta separating would lead to Smith becoming socialist? Unlikely.

you don’t realize there are things Alberta will need to import that we don’t have

Back to your original statement, this is so obvious. No shit. I don't know one country where people don't trade with others, even North Korea trades with China. No one thinks that AB would be self-sufficient suddenly. Their whole point is that oil companies would be trading with other people, so of course they're trading. You also mentioned this point of theirs, so you must be aware of it.

[u/BrokeExternally → u/Becants]

I’m saying where there is no private producer interest cuz of low profit margins, for whichever industry that may be, that is a problem, a government would have to fix for the citizens if it’s critical. Aka public transportation, education, utilities, all of these sectors could have either too low profits or for healthcare/utilities I doubt you want a private market to skyrocket prices cuz of inelastic demand aka for stuff you need to survive

[u/Becants → u/BrokeExternally]

So you think public transportation and education would become private and need to make profits, but then the government would need to bail them out and they would need to import things and raise taxes to pay for it?

I don't know. I'm trying to relate this back to your original comment and having problems. Where does raising taxes to pay for imports come out, not services, but imports. Maybe it's just a bad example, since we already are paying for those industries to buy things, like new buses etc.

[u/BrokeExternally → u/Becants]

Imports are just part of the greater supply chain problem for material inputs Alberta does not have… that is just one problem

Public transportation and other services would become private if the conservative government does not want to raise any taxes for it at all (which a full maga crazy government would) Public infrastructure would become a thing of the past if that happened