re. Voters should back one-cent solution

The way I see it, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has two choices. His government has already said it intends to reduce the GST from 6% to 5%, having already dropped it from 7%. His government doesn't want, or think it needs, the extra penny it's currently collecting.

Now I doubt very many people noticed last year's GST reduction. Except for a few big-ticket items, it amounted to pocket change. However, our cities desperately need the money to repair our crumbling infrastructure, to maintain essential services, and to alleviate the pressure to keep raising the extremely regressive property taxes.

Meanwhile Stéphane Dion refuses to commit to rebuilding our cities. Flaherty can score a huge public-relations victory by simply saying "yes" to Miller's one-cent solution.

This should be a no-brainer. It's not only good for our cities and for Canada, it's smart politics.

Gary Dale, Toronto