I have not decided yet how to vote.
My riding (Don Valley West) is, according to the Toronto Star, likely the most ethnically and economically diverse riding in the country.
Don Valley West: The vote of many colours | Toronto Star
Our current MP is Conservative (John Carmichael), who was elected in 2011. Prior to him, the MP was Liberal (Rob Oliphant), who held the post during 2008-2011. Both of these men are running in the upcoming MP election.
I normally lean toward NDP, but the candidate in our riding (Syeda Riaz) seems very inexperienced (her goal is to one day attend law school), which is disappointing.
Syeda Riaz for Don Valley West « Canada's NDP
I have donated money to Olivia Chow's NDP campaign (Spadina-Fort York), and think that Tom Mulcair is doing well in the first debates, but I am having a hard time voting for an MP candidate that does not seem as qualified as the other candidates.
Would you vote for an inexperienced MP solely to help the Prime Minister candidate?
I am also turned off by the NDP's pledge to eliminate the stock options "tax loophole," as I think that is unfair and will not result in the tax revenue promised. For those who don't know, stock options give holders the ability to buy shares in their employer company for a pre-determined amount, so those employees get to profit from the increase in share value of their company. Currently, the money earned when stock options are exercised are taxed the same way capital gains are taxed, meaning 50% of the earnings amount is taxed as income. This makes sense, in my view, as (i) the earnings are closer to capital gains (i.e. increase in share/property value) than income and (ii) unlike income, the company does not get a tax deduction on the amount paid out to stock option holders.
Mulcair keeps saying that "eliminating the stock option loophole" will save the country $750 million per year, but he is ignoring the fact that, if the earnings are treated and taxed as regular income, then the company paying out the money will also get the new tax deduction associated with the income payment.
NDP would close tax loophole on stock option earnings, Thomas Mulcair says | Toronto Star
Mulcair also keeps saying that stock options are reserved for CEOs and the mega-rich, which is not so. My company gives stock options to many levels of employees, as do other companies, as (i) a stock option plan incentivizes all levels of employee to work to improve the value of the company and (ii) it helps to retain employees as employees generally lose their stock options if they leave the company.
I get that the NDP wants to fight income inequality, and I support that. I just wish they would do so by doing something more sensible, like increasing the marginal tax rate (and other higher tax rates) for EVERYONE, as opposed to singling out stock option holders in a way that does not make sense.