Many commenters seem to think this is a question of "either-or" whereas it should be "neither-nor".

There should be neither a per-vote subsidy, nor tax-deductible fund raising.  I have often said on this topic that as far as fund-raising is concerned, donations to political parties should:

- Be capped at an acceptable level ($1000 or whatever per annum)
- Be restricted to individual Canadian citizens (no corporations, unions or organisations)
- Not be tax deductible (if you want to support a political party, go ahead, but don't pick the taxpayer's pocket in doing it.)

How did we ever get to thinking that any political organisation deserves the support of the taxpayer?  It's an absurd concept.