Réjean Tremblay never tires of criticizing the “tax” couple formed by Valérie Plante and François Legault, whom he accuses of fleecing Quebecers, including himself, with their incessant increases in taxes and municipal taxes. And of course, this particularly affects his favorite subject: the Montreal Canadiens.
Obviously, for Tremblay, this duo is only good for one thing: pumping out their millions in taxes. He’s fed up, and that’s saying something. What particularly annoys him is seeing how these damn Quebec taxes and municipal taxes disadvantage the Montreal Canadiens.
Oh, I know,” laughs Tremblay.
“Valérie Plante will say that it has nothing to do with it. And François Legault will reply that it’s a coincidence, because he knows taxes like no one else.” And Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, in all this? “Ah, he’s going to tell us that we still don’t pay enough taxes when we buy anything other than vegetables,” says Tremblay, slobbery as ever, but who hits the nail on the head. (credit: BPM Sports)
We are told repeatedly that we must make the rich pay to finance the poor. Here again, Tremblay becomes arrogant towards the Legault-Plante duo…
“Thanks to your billions in taxes,” quips Tremblay, “our health system is a model of efficiency, our schools are temples of educational excellence, our justice system is exemplarily rapid, and our roads are the pride of the country.”
But in the world of professional sports, it’s a completely different reality. When an agent evaluates a contract offer from the Montreal Canadiens versus that of the Florida Panthers, he looks at what’s left after taxes.
“And he explains to his client that in Florida there is no income tax. Only federal tax. And the sales tax is 6%. That leaves almost a million dollars more in the pockets of a superstar.”
Tremblay doesn’t stop there. He continues to display his arrogance and becomes more and more scathing towards Quebec. We love it when Tremblay enters his bubble…in his zone. He is simply merciless.
Add to that the sun in February, the beaches in March, the restaurant patios all year round, and the highways that cross the state from Miami to Jacksonville, and you have a player who asks his wife: “Where is- what am I signing?”
“When a veteran’s contract expires, there’s a good chance he’ll prefer to stay in the sun. “So ask Jonathan Huberdeau if he prefers his house near Las Olas Boulevard or his $10 million contract at Calgary,” jokes Tremblay.
Tremblay makes us understand that it is not a matter of chance When a Florida team is in the Stanley Cup final for the fifth consecutive year, that Vegas (another place under the sun which is not imposed) was last season and even Edmonton, where the tax rate is the lowest in Canada and consumers pay no provincial sales tax, only the federal GST, well we tell ourselves that life is unfair.
The sarcastic tone is really on point. The Canadian is disadvantaged by our damn taxes and our taxes which make no sense, thanks to Mr. Legault and Mrs. Plante.
But the tax couple prefers to ignore that.
Réjean Tremblay makes us realize that we must add a solution to this blatant inequality within the NHL. The most taxed cities, like Montreal, should benefit from an increase in the salary cap relating to taxes.
It is obvious. If we want the Montreal Canadiens to be able to compete on an equal footing with state teams without income tax, we must adjust the salary cap to compensate for the heavy taxes imposed on our players.
This measure would level the playing field and make Montreal more attractive for pure talent.
Imagine if the Canadian could offer a net salary equivalent to that of the teams in Florida or Nevada. Not only would this attract the best players, but it would also help retain our stars who are otherwise tempted to leave for less fiscally cruel locations.
This proposal would not only benefit the Montreal Canadiens, but all teams located in high-tax jurisdictions.
It’s not just about competition. It’s a question of fairness. Why should teams from highly taxed cities be penalized? They should be able to compensate for this difference by adjusting the salary cap.
Tremblay does not fail to point out that professional sport is a big money business, where every dollar counts.
Players, agents, team owners, all look at the bottom of the sheet. What’s left after taxes.
If we really want the Canadian to be competitive and Montreal to be able to retain and attract the best talent, we must rethink our tax and salary approach in the world of professional sports.
Because we must not wait for our politicians to lower taxes. We’re going to wait a long time.
Of course, Valérie Plante and François Legault will prefer to ignore this reality, continuing to extol the benefits of their tax policies, while watching the Canadian’s best years slip away under the Florida sun.
Thanks to Réjean Tremblay for saying out loud what everyone is thinking. It was time for the Legault-Plante duo to be properly picked up.
