‘Accountability’ advice

Dear Editor:

Just because you’re a small or independent business, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay your taxes.

I’ve heard plenty of people say they don’t pay taxes because their employer is so small or independent that they shouldn’t have to. That, or they figure not paying will go undetected. I’ve heard them cite reasons such as the poor economy (therefore, they can’t survive if they pay taxes) or the fact other people’s jobs are more stable (so those workers should be paying all the taxes).

First of all, it’s important to disengage from any corporation whose bylaws or terms and conditions set high standards for its employees, consumers and management but only uses them to regulate a select few. These rules are legally used to intimidate and bully when in favour of the corporation, but they take years or thousands of dollars in legal aid to work in favour of the individuals who rely on them, regardless of the corporation’s size.

Businesses that have proved to investors that they have the drive to grow are the ones that expand and can handle economic instability, but only as a corporation. As for their individual workers, they’re as vulnerable to instability as anyone else. And it usually comes at a price of meeting an uncomfortably high quota. Take delivery companies downsizing after a COVID-19 boom, for example.

We need to realize that we all have a common enemy, which is instability. Enough with funding trends. Enough with escaping personal insecurities by indulging the unethical employers and their “get ahead of the pack” type mentality. 

Focus on the stability of yourself and those immediately around you rather than blaming. Keep to promises and don’t over-commit. Set realistic expectations and be honest about whether who you work for, what you buy, how you act, is really a need or a self-deprecating want.

Accountability starts with individuals.

Courtney Pamela,
Elora