They’re not taxing the wealthy enough to a) pay for the services we need, and b) stop cash hoarding and (literal) rentier capitalism run rampant. They could raise taxes (income, estate, transfers in- and out of the country) and they could use that money, given to the provinces and municipalities, to invest in public housing at scale.
But they don’t want to, because it would expensive and it would require bold, interventionist economic policy, both of which neoliberal governments don’t do–partly because we’re two generations into policymakers that don’t even think this way, and also because they’re absolutely terrified of any blowback.
So yes, they’re responsible for quite a bit. The provinces and cities own a lot of this two, but all three levels have enough neoliberal orthodoxy and political cowardice to share.
They’re not taxing the wealthy enough to a) pay for the services we need, and b) stop cash hoarding and (literal) rentier capitalism run rampant. They could raise taxes (income, estate, transfers in- and out of the country) and they could use that money, given to the provinces and municipalities, to invest in public housing at scale.
But they don’t want to, because it would expensive and it would require bold, interventionist economic policy, both of which neoliberal governments don’t do–partly because we’re two generations into policymakers that don’t even think this way, and also because they’re absolutely terrified of any blowback.
So yes, they’re responsible for quite a bit. The provinces and cities own a lot of this two, but all three levels have enough neoliberal orthodoxy and political cowardice to share.