"Yeah, but you could say that for roads as well, or any utility"
No, roads are socialized, not subsidized.
We socialize them because it would be impossible otherwise - each road represents a kind of 'single access point'.
Package delivery - other than possibly ensuring packages are delivered to remote areas - does not need to be socialized, and probably not subsidized.
Farming - again, absolutely not socialized, because it would be absurd for our governments to be running all of our farms - but - there are strategic subsidies because 'on the whole' we want to make sure certain crop availability (and for other reasons).
We subsidize entertainment: want to make a movie in Canada? You get tax breaks.
There's no reason at all to allow for skimping out on VAT for most online services.
And FYO with respect to 'looking for tax loopholes' - don't discount the ineffectiveness of the bureaucracy. We are 10 months into a pandemic, and the PM of Canada, just 2 days ago, the PM of Canada was zooming with a Big Tech CEO about some cool ideas for 'Apps with Contact Tracing' and other things that they have absolutely made 0 progress on. Compared to places like Taiwan and S. Korea and their very active operational engagement of COVID, sometimes I wonder how the mail actually does get delivered.
No, roads are socialized, not subsidized.
We socialize them because it would be impossible otherwise - each road represents a kind of 'single access point'.
Package delivery - other than possibly ensuring packages are delivered to remote areas - does not need to be socialized, and probably not subsidized.
Farming - again, absolutely not socialized, because it would be absurd for our governments to be running all of our farms - but - there are strategic subsidies because 'on the whole' we want to make sure certain crop availability (and for other reasons).
We subsidize entertainment: want to make a movie in Canada? You get tax breaks.
There's no reason at all to allow for skimping out on VAT for most online services.
And FYO with respect to 'looking for tax loopholes' - don't discount the ineffectiveness of the bureaucracy. We are 10 months into a pandemic, and the PM of Canada, just 2 days ago, the PM of Canada was zooming with a Big Tech CEO about some cool ideas for 'Apps with Contact Tracing' and other things that they have absolutely made 0 progress on. Compared to places like Taiwan and S. Korea and their very active operational engagement of COVID, sometimes I wonder how the mail actually does get delivered.