This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

The other day I had a thought. I am so disgusted by Dr. Mark Freedman, the "big cheese" at the Ottawa General Hospital, and his "Chronic" insensitivity to MS patients and "Ultra-sensitivity" to his own ego and drug companies, also, to the Federal Gov't who don't realize that in the long-run they will save more money from CCSVI treatment vs. covering drugs under Can. Health care (since that is the bottom line for them), finallly drug companies, whose filthy greed will "come back to them" in the end...that I thought the following:

I am an IT Consultant who is incorporated and does not pay taxes directly every pay cheque. Rather, I am paid my full rate + HST, and have to owe Government at the end of the year. What if I REFUSED TO PAY MY TAXES until Canada fulfills ints moral, legal, and ethical duties to provide proven beneficial CCSVI treatment. I may go to jail for a few weeks or months (but that is much better than suffering from MS, to be honest). This may start a ripple effect and the media (who are attention-whores), would LOVE such a story! This will bring national and international attention to CCSVI an our plight for healthy lives!

Think of the headline, "Ontario Man REFUSES TO PAY TAXES and is willing to go to jail - until the Federal Gov't helps MS Patients who are suffering"

What do you think?

Pardon my ignorance - But perhaps you should file a suit against someone/some entity first?
I also could say "I do not pay my taxes because Parma ham is forbidden in my Country" But that would just put me in troubles?

Buddy,

Let them sue me! I have the money, they don't...if you understood my post. Secondly, if you compare the disabilitating effects of MS and its disease implicatons with "Parma ham", whetever the heck that is...then "you are truly ignorant" and should not even be on this site!

Hi there my new friend. Being a Canuck just like you, it is very disappointing, frustrating, annoying that we pay taxes, we pay medical services premiums, and yet we cannot get treatment because we have a disability where the treatment isn't recognised as being of any help.

As you are self employed, then yes when you complete your next tax return, you could certainly tell Canada Revenue Services that they can sue you but you aren't going to pay until the Fed Gov gives you what you want. And yes as you say, that might well get the attention of the press which is definately something that is needed to bring attention to the issue of CCSVI and the discrimination of treatment not being provided to MS'ers.

My reason in responding on this post is due to your reply to Algis;
firstly he was suggesting something that perhaps won't get you into legal trouble with Can Rev (and you really, really don't want to tick them off because they can so easily grab your bank accounts it'll make your head spin), and secondly I don't understand the reference to "Parma ham" either, but I think I would have maybe asked him just to clarify that reference, and lastly you seemed to assume (and I'm sure you know what that "translates" to) that he doesn't understand the disability of MS.
Did you even look at where Algis is from - can you write Chinese ? - did you see the number of posts he has added to the TiMS site ? Please don't ever suggest that anyone trying to put constructive input into the site should not even be here !!!!!!

In any event, good luck with your refusing to pay taxes.

What I would if I could is: First, put all your savings in the account of your wife, parents, or siblings. Next, try go get a medical certificate saying that you cannot work for a while. Next, take the exact amount of your taxes, and donate it to a charity, and call the press saying clearly that that money is the money of your taxes, and that you don't have more.

Be careful. You will not go to jail for not paying taxes. They will try to confiscate something instead, including your home / car / salary / anything. Maybe another medical certificate saying that you need your house for medical reasons could be good.

And of course, IANAL (I am not a lawyer) and you should consult with one before doing such a thing.

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You can get a worldwide list of available sites for CCSVI at http://www.ccsviclinic.info

Good point...I think the charity of choice is the MS Society of Canada...they seem to be working miracles these days!

Good luck with civil disobedience!

May follow your lead. However don't we have a law case for lost earnings, too?

We should have CWW (cane, walker, wheelchair) party on largish commuting route (such as one that will double as a dance floor) at rush hour!

We could have one at the top of a commuter bridge. There really is power in numbers. The more the better. Increasing public awareness is very important. Most people don't know this is happening.

Need a better sound system than last time...

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"Try - Just A Little Bit Harder" - Janis Joplin
CCSVI procedure Albany Aug 2010
'_MS' is over - if you want it
Patients sans/without patience

Not paying your taxes as proposed would come under the heading of:
Dumb, Dummer, Just PLain Stupid.

As a professional tax preparer, I can assure you that the CRA almost always gets it's money. If you don't cough it up when you are supposed to they will extract it one way or another. It may take years (they are very patient) but they will get you and it will be expensive when they do.

Also the idea suggested of transferring assets to the spouse & kids does not work. Once CRA follows the trail - and they will - they can still seize the assets as they still are still your legal assets, not the tranferee's.

Last but not least the actual provision of health care is a provincial responsibility, not a federal one. If the province of Ontario decides to pay for CCSVI treatment tomorrow, there is nothing Ottawa can do to stop them.

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Carpe Diem

This is a good way to get in trouble with the law and not further your purpose at all. Do something proactive for the cause instead.

Love the enthusiasm and passion to do SOMETHING....but agree that Rev Can always gets you...and with interest...why not donate to angioplastyforall.com, this seems like the best chance we Canadians have...truly... a great lawyer who wants to win..

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Onthelake

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.  Stephen L.

The problem with out universal health care system is there is no flexibility to quickly move on new advancements in treatment.
When you look at the big picture, every single MS patient that leaves the country for CCSVI treatment is saving the cost to our system.
I think the only way we are going to advance this treatment in Canada is.
1. All patients have to cancel all appointments with the MS Specialists.
I know this is drastic measures but i sure feel the health minister might want to know why they are paying huge sums of money for nothing.
2.All patients have to cancel there MS Society membership.
3. Most important, we really have to take to the streets. Could you imagine the news media frenzy if say 200 people showed up in wheelchairs and blocked off the major intersections in Toronto.
4. This one i do not really like but it sure would cause the medical system to sit up and take notice.
For us people that are looking after loved ones, if we all wheeled our Spouses, sons or daughters or close friends to the main hospital's in each major centre and said to the triage nurse now it is your turn to look after them, see you later.
That's my picture of the measures that need to be taken in Canada.
I know you are frustrated like most of us in Canada but please do NOT try and take on RC you will surely lose.
What do others think.

Act Up is an organization that had a very positive effect promoting AIDS research/treatment in the U.S.

For those folks interested in civil disobedience to accomplish change, I recommend studying the Act UP movement as a template.

http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/CDindex.html

Brian

I agree that the CRC really doesn't care why you didn't pay your taxes. They only care that you did not and they will charge you interest. It is like taking on one of the robots in Terminator. They will not stop. Ever.
On the other hand, let's do this through the courts.

On July 2nd a group of Canadians with MS had a meeting with a lawyer concerning the fact that angioplasty is not allowed for Canadians with MS. Angioplasty is an approved procedure in Canada and it is performed on the internal jugular veins. It is paid for by our Provincial Health Care. Except if you have been labeled with MS. Then it is called experimental and is not allowed. In fact clinics that test for CCSVI in Canada have been told to stop.

I have seen Canadians holding protests, marching, signing petitions and sending letters to their MP's and MPP's. This will not do anything. The advisory councils are not elected polititians. They do not care how many letters we write. They do not care if this is tested. This is all about money.

When I was at the meeting, I was sure we would raise $10,000 by the end of the week. Surprisingly this didn't happen. I don't know if we did not advertise enough. Or is this MS society is too fractured to respond But I have contributed. My MS group has contibuted. People at the meeting who have already had the angioplasty done have contributed. Do Canadians just not care? Or do they not understand?

Personally, I am on the list for Albany. I will go there, pay and have the angioplasty done. If I was cold hearted I would leave it at that. I did not need to contribute to this group trying to sue the Ontario government. But I do care. More than a person a day dies from MS in Canada. I care about those people and those that do not have enough money to go to the USA or elsewhere and pay. Why should this procedure be allowed for people with heart disease, cancer and kidney failure and not be allowed for people with MS.

The website is http://angioplastyforall.com