Sandi Martin

"At the same time that Ottawa moved to relieve affluent property owners of poorly performing taxes, the budget provided new allocations to litigate pandemic benefit cases against low-income Canadians — cases that cost far more to pursue than the government could ever recover."

"The decision made sense. But what’s striking is how that same reasoning is rarely applied when the burden of complexity falls on people at the other end of the income scale."

"The Underused Housing Tax and luxury taxes were dropped because they complicated and yielded little return. Pandemic benefit cases meet the same description, only in reverse: they generate no return and inflict great harm.

Op-Ed: Ottawa's costly pursuit of the poor The government cites inefficiency as a reason to end taxes on vacant homes and yachts — yet keeps pouring money into futile litigation over pandemic-era benefits

Continuing fire from John Stapleton at the Federal Government's war on poor people from www.canadianaffairs.news/2025/11/12/o...

Budgets reveal political priorities. Every cut, every subsidy, every tax break exposes who governments believe deserves support. Austerity disguises itself as discipline, but the real cost shows up in the lives it pushes to the margins.

I miss library cards in the books that said who else had borrowed the book and when.

There are going to be lots of arm chair opinions on the value of essential public services from people who don’t use or rely on a certain public service today. Perhaps take a pause and listen to those who do for a change. Your couple a bucks a year to pay for said service might not seem so horrible

Do You Have a Real Financial Plan? Advice-Only Planner Sandi Martin Explains - Moolala A lot of people think they have a financial plan — but do they really? Bruce is joined by Sandi Martin, a certified advice-only financial planner, to break down what a real financial plan looks like a...

This was a super fun interview, and not just because talking to Bruce is *always* fun. Getting to talk about what a real, actual financial plan is (and isn't) gets me going every time.

moolala.ca/do-you-have-...

"The 1% who rule the world may have turned the pursuit of money and power into a kind of pathological game that are ends in themselves, but for the rest of us, having money, having an income, being free from debt, has come to mean having the power to pursue something other than money. We all want to ensure our loved ones are safe, and taken care of. We all want to live in healthy and beautiful communities but beyond that, the things we wish to pursue are likely to be wildly different. What if freedom were the ability to make up our minds about what it was we wished to pursue, with whom we wished to pursue it, and what sort of commitments we wish to make to them in the process?" . - David Graeber

The destructive nature of the current feudalized version of capitalism needs to be talked about more on social media.

This makes me think of @nolore.bsky.social's exhortation to get involved in your community somehow, regardless of whether what you do is overtly political. People need connection, purpose, and meaning. If that's community soccer or choir or gardening club or whatever, cool.

In 2023, the top 1% of Canadian families controlled 24% of Canada's total net wealth.

The richest 5% controlled 40%.

The bottom 40% of Canadian households, combined, controlled 3.3% of net wealth in Canada. Many of those are in a net debt position.

Oh, yeah. I have a newsletter. Practice news one month, financial planning the next, one great read every now and then, and a round up of the past month's @readysetmoneyshow.bsky.social episodes.

Fill yer boots:
sandimartin.ca/subscribe

Help shape the future of automatic tax filing in Canada The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is working to reduce tax filing barriers for individuals. Many individuals with a lower income are still missing out on valuable benefit and credit payments because they are not filing an annual tax return. Automatic tax filing is one way the CRA can effectively support individuals with a lower income in filing their taxes. The CRA has significantly expanded the reach of its automatic tax filing services since 2023 by increasing access to its SimpleFile services, including almost tripling the number of individuals invited to use SimpleFile by Phone during the tax filing season. Now, the CRA is seeking feedback to help shape the future of automatic tax filing in Canada. How to participate Individuals, community organizations, tax preparers, tax software professionals, and academics are invited to participate in the CRA’s automatic tax filing questionnaire by October 9th. Participants can share their views on: • the CRA’s current efforts to reduce filing barriers for individuals with a lower income • opportunities to expand automatic tax filing tools and services, as well as what the CRA needs to consider when expanding tools and services How the CRA will use your feedback Your feedback will help the CRA better understand opportunities and considerations related to its SimpleFile services in Canada. It will also contribute to the creation, or expansion, of services to help individuals file their taxes and get the payments they’re entitled to. For more information on the CRA’s consultation activities, please go to Automatic tax filing consultation or send an email to engagementg@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Hey folks please take a look at this and consider filing it out, because if you don't you can be sure the tax software lobby industry is! The CRAis starting to consult on automatic tax filing in Canada. Let's get this done!

cra-arc-survey-sondage.ca/f/s.aspx?s=d...

A friend gave me his copy! I sometimes see Graeber at the used bookstore. If I find one I could get it and send it to you.

Thanks!

I think there has been a war of the imagination over the last several years. I was thinking a lot about what there might be to be optimistic about and I came to the conclusion that this feeling of hopelessness that everybody has is a manufactured product, and that’s what Neo-Liberalism is really about. Neo-Liberalism isn’t just an economic program, it’s a political program designed to produce hopelessness and kill any future alternatives." David Graeber

Hopelessness is an important element of Neo-Liberalism

a man says i 'm always angry in front of a burning fire ALT: a man says i 'm always angry in front of a burning fire

I'm incensed that this is such an entrenched problem that there's been at least three different versions of the same "breaking news" in the past decade alone.

YouTube video by Katy Shields How Economists Uphold Neoliberalism: Full Walkthrough

A must-watch, 6 and a half minute primer from @katyrshields.bsky.social on how the orthodoxy of (white, male, wealthy) economic groupthink has harms all of us by propping up and reinforcing neo-liberalism: youtu.be/42oiE-VKWvg?...

Drew, I didn’t see this until now! Heres my answer:

"What that means, though, is that we have to be willing not only to fight for the world we believe in, but also to continue living in the world as it is in the meantime.”

Vacation reading from This Book is a Knife:

“It isn't enough to hope for the world you want, and it isn't enough to work for the world you want. You have to hope and work for the world you want.

Truly, friends, I wrote this episode for myself. But I'm so happy to share it with you fine folks too:

CUPE president says he'll risk jail time as Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order Mark Hancock, president of the union representing striking Air Canada flight attendants, says there is 'no limit' to what he is willing to do to get a fair deal for workers after the federal labour re...

Solidarity with @cupescfp.bsky.social and Air Canada flight attendants who refuse to back down. When governments rush to end strikes, they're sending a clear message: workers' rights are expendable, corporate profits are not.

www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

We have created an entire non-profit industry based on fundraising to support essential services.

Rich people are the donors, even creating foundations to donate money, but yet refuse to pay their fair share of taxes. Instead they get a tax write-off and a building named after them.

Saw someone upbraiding someone else for having a hobby while the world is on fire, and, my friends:

1. The world is ever on fire, this is today's conflagration;

2. If you don't find time for rest and joy the fire will consume you;

3. Don't let people shame you for being an entire human.

It reads like philosophy, not self help.

It’s always possible, honestly. Maybe in retrospect I’ll see it that way.

For now, I’m appreciating that the core thesis is basically “hey, you are by very definition a finite being”, and there’s no solution prescribed.

“None of us can single-handedly overthrown a society dedicated to limitless productivity, distraction, and speed.

But right here, right now, you can stop buying into the delusion that any of that is going to bring satisfaction.”