So I've been doing a bit of math. Ernie Eves wants to give tax refunds on mortgage interest, to a maximum of $500 per year.

Okay, this might concern me, since I'm looking at taking on ownership within the next 10 years. Let's see - I make paying off debts a high priority, I'll probably be in a 2 income situation when I start owning, so we'd probably get the mortgage paid off within 10 years. 10 * 500 = 5000. So I'd have an overall savings of $5000.

But, you know, these tories have also made my life quite a bit more expensive. For example, university tuition went way up on their watch. If they had continued to fund universities properly and regulate tuition, I would have saved at least $1000 a year, or $4000.

And I would be saving $1000-$3000 per year if they hadn't nuked all the rent controls. Even if I rented for just one year, that and the tuition already obliterate any savings on mortgage interest.

But wait - the tories also cut funding to public transit, pushing fares way up! The cost of a metropass has gone up $15 per month since I moved to Toronto, and there were 4 years of tory rule before that! And they haven't increased minimum wage to account for inflation, and I had 5 years where my pay was minimum wage or based on minimum wage! If they had increased minimum wage for inflation, a full-time minimum wage earner would be making $3500 more per year now than in 1995! (I, personally, would have earned about $5000 more over the last 5 years). Now if I had all this money back in my pocket, I could save up a down payment faster and/or come into ownership with a larger down payment, which would do far more to reduce my overall interest payments than a measly $500 per year.

The moral of the story? Use your calculator before you let the tories bribe you.