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[alwaysfishn]

Said hi to Bill for you tonight but he does not remember you, I said you fished and were not a gardener so he said that explains it.

Maybe I was wrong to suggest that Bill stick to gardening......   I should have suggested he take up fishing!   

[Novabonker]

And this is the problem! You and probably most of the anti HST'ers are upset with Campbell for one reason or another and you are using the new HST to vent. No problem with being upset with Campbell but why use the HST campaign?

So it's A-OK to just let him and the rest of his cowering curs,um, caucus to get away with ANOTHER outright lie and just say Please Sir -Can I have some more? I'd rather die fighting than lie down like a sheep. How many straws before the camels back finally breaks? I think this bale will do it. Campbell isn't the only source of my anger- it's also the rest of the liars, apologists and gutless hacks that lack the testicular fortitude to stand up to what they should know is dead wrong on not just this, but more than a few other things that are highly suspect. These zombies were sent to Victoria to represent their constituents , not Campbell's political donor list. They're as corrupt as sure as the sun shines.Doubt me? Look at the donor list, see who benefits from the Liberal agenda. It stinks. Reeks of government for sale.  What seems pretty vacant here with your response is the wait until the next election.NO If I can do some arm twisting and it makes one person think, makes one Liberal STAND UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING, not what the liars and con men running the game tell them to do, mission accomplished.  

The whole anti HST campaign loses credibility when it's real motive is to complain about Campbell. There are many more positives than negatives about the HST. 7 out of 10 provinces are incorporating it! Only Manitoba, Saskatchewan and PEI are currently holding out. Manitoba is probably the next province to incorporate HST and they have an NDP government.

Gee- I'm reminded of Mom asking me if all my friends wanted to jump off a cliff...I'm not a lemming.

The help for small business has been simplification of their tax collecting duties. Now they only need to collect one tax not 2 taxes. I've owned  a business in Ontario and that is huge!!!  The HST will benefit the consumer over the long run because many products we buy and pay PST and GST on have PST incorporated in the price. This is because our current system doesn't allow the business to claim back the PST it pays before it sells a product to you or I. In a competitive market that will knock between 3-5% off many products. Although all  taxes suck, simpler is better when it comes to taxes.

More taxes always benefit the consumer. I'm old enough to remember Mulroney telling us how good the GST was....

Save your Campbell frustrations for the next election and express them there....   where they can actually make a difference!  

And I can lie down in front of a steamroller if I choose.Maybe the recall act is weak, but if the only weapon I have is rocks, than I'll put them in my sling and aim it right between the eyes. I'm sure that I'm not the only humanoid in BC who is fed up with outright lies and pablum. In my opinion, when we collectively shrug our shoulders and accept liars and scam artists as representative of our society and province, than it's time to cash in my chips.Now is the time to stand up to make the worms squirm. Simply put, this a beachhead. Fight or flee? I'll fight.When I know somethings wrong, I'll resist and fight every step of the way, as I'm seeing more than a few BCer's getting angry enough to sweep aside the garbage the hacks toss at us and stand up to be counted. The knives are coming out for Campbell, although I don't see any of his sheeple being bright enough to turn around the Liberals, maybe they'll do the honourable thing and rid themselves of the political constipation known as Gordon Campbell.

And to the person that brought up the fast ferries- How much was the convention center OVER budget?

[alwaysfishn]

I feel better now!

Isn't this forum great? I always feel better when I vent as well........   

[chris gadsden]

What a "fantastic" night it was last night being there with Bill and hundred's of concerned citzens about this unfair tax. The  turnout in a Liberal hot bed was unbelievable I can hardly wait to get my canvasser package and am going to try for a 100 signatures.


Incase you missed it please check out the web site at FightHST.com for more information. Maybe it will change alwaysfishn stance.

Hope to get my video's uploaded later tonight.

[alwaysfishn]

It seems that everyone that is either for or against the HST highlights only the points that support their argument. Here's a report summary from TD Financial Group which highlights both positive and negative aspects of the tax.

Thought I'd post it so some of the anti-Campell posters could have a little more of an argument besides "we don't like that #$@!&'n Campbell" ... or words to that effect. 

Here's a summary but the full link is below.  http://www.hstincanada.com/2010/01/td-bank-hst-impact-report/

Key Highlights from the Report

• We estimate that the move to a harmonized sales tax (HST) will reduce the cost of doing business by a total of $6.9 billion in Ontario and British Columbia
• The majority of the cost savings will pass onto consumers in the form of lower prices, and con­sumers in both provinces could witness a 0.8% -0.9% drop in the pre-tax ticket prices on the purchase of goods and services
• However, the tax burden will shift from busi­nesses to consumers, who will now pay the flat HST on a broader array of goods and services than before, and the effective tax rate on con­sumption will increase by 1.5 percentage points Ontario and B.C. , and the overall price level will increase by 0.7 percentage points in both prov­inces
• The combined impact will lead to a permanent 0.4% increase in Canada’s average annual con­sumer price level relative to where it would have been without harmonization.

Notable Excerpts

Since Ontario and B.C export and import a significant portion of their GDP, firms in these regions face a high degree of competition from foreign suppliers. Therefore, in order to attract more demand and increase profitability, firms will have to pass the majority of these savings forward to consumers.

Although we anticipate that consumers will pay lower pre-tax prices on average, they will have to pay the flat HST on a broader array of goods and services than before, therefore increasing their effective tax rate on consumption.

Given the list of goods and services that will be affected by the new tax, we have estimated that Ontario consumers will experience an 8 percentage point increase in the posted tax rate on approximately 19% of their expenditures.

In B.C., consumers will be subject to a 7 percentage point increase on the tax rate on 21% of their expenditures. In Ontario and B.C., this will lead to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the effective tax rate.

Fortunately in On­tario (and in Toronto), about 90% of new homes are priced below $500,000 (and 75% of new homes are priced under $400,000) 4, so the majority of new homebuyers will be affected at the lower range. B.C. will likely be hit harder by the tax, as home prices in the province are higher than those in Ontario. Existing homes are about 30% more expensive in B.C. than they are in Ontario.

Conclusions?

The report does not try and veil the fact that the HST has both positive and negative ramifications.  Overall the folks at TD are in favor of the added tax and believe it will simplify the current system, encourage job growth, and increase wages and investment. However they admit that in the short run it will raise consumer prices, and could have a negative effect on the housing industry, primarily in B.C. (this report was released before the B.C. gov changed the maximum cost of new house to $525,000).

I think it is up to us to be fully informed on potential benefits and shortcomings and to then take initiative to ensure that the least fortunate of our country are not going have to foot the bill.

http://www.td.com/economics/special/dp0909_hst.pdf

[chris gadsden]

http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/news/89732432.html

For a report on the meeting last night in Chilliwack.

[alwaysfishn]

I listened to Bill on the video and have decided to make a small donation ......

so that Bill can buy some duct tape to hold up his ant-HST sign at the next rally.   

[chris gadsden]

The majority of the cost savings will pass onto
consumers in the form of lower prices, and consumers
in both provinces could witness a 0.8%
-0.9% drop in the pre-tax ticket prices on the
purchase of goods and services

This is from the report. Well in my 67 years I do not oftern see things go down in price only up. Today we saw a number of increases.

  Hydro, TransLink and other fees increase today
  By Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver SunApril 1, 2010  Several everyday activities in B.C. become more expensive today, as fee increases kick in for a range of services from gas and electricity to transit, ferries and provincial parks.

"There is a cruel April Fool's joke coming ... to the public in British Columbia," New Democratic Party leader Carole James said Wednesday as she highlighted the fee increases.

"Almost every family will be hit by further fees," she said. "This is just going to be continued pressure on families."

Because April 1 is the first day of the new fiscal year for government, many planned fee increases take effect today.

Rates at BC Hydro will increase by about nine per cent. The overall utility bill for most Terasen Gas customers will go up about six per cent.

TransLink fares will increase as well, with a monthly one-zone pass rising to $81 from $73. A book of 10 one-zone tickets will rise to $21 from $19.

Fares at BC Ferries will increase, with the cost of a one-way car trip on a major route rising to $46.75 from $45. A walk-on ticket for the major routes will increase $0.50 to $14.

Camping fees in provincial parks increase today, with rates for the highest demand sites rising to $30 from $26.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Colin Hansen defended the increases, saying each one had been carefully scrutinized, with bodies like BC Ferries and Hydro having to make their cases to oversight bodies before any increases were approved.

Hansen added that his government has lowered personal income taxes since taking office in 2001.

"At a minimum a British Columbian today is paying about 37 per cent less than they would have paid 10 years ago for the same income level. And for lower income British Columbians they actually have an even more substantial reduction in their personal income tax," said Hansen.

"Yes there are some things that are going to cost a little bit more in terms of fees, but the bottom line is that B.C. families have much more disposable income today than they had 10 years ago," he added.

jfowlie@vancouversun.com

[chris gadsden]

I listened to Bill on the video and have decided to make a small donation ......

so that Bill can buy some duct tape to hold up his ant-HST sign at the next rally.  

That was just a signal the HST is going to fall under the pressure as 85 % of the people in BC that are against it.

Save your money incase the HST comes in, you will need it.

[chris gadsden]

Businesses should brace themselves for a likely slowdown in Canadian spending in 2010 as consumer fundamentals are at their weakest point in 15 years and do not match up with recent rebounds in sentiment, a new CIBC World Markets report says.


Benjamin Tal, economist with CIBC, has developed a new consumer capability index based on seven economic factors to measure the ability of Canadians to spend.


This differs from the traditional consumer confidence survey, which asks Canadians if they feel they can maintain their spending.


"The recent surge in spending is not backed up by rising consumer fundamentals," Mr. Tal said in the report. "The 'V-shaped' recovery in consumer confidence we have seen throughout the second half of 2009, has actually coincided with a drop in the ability of households to spend."


He warns that if, as expected, the Bank of Canada raises interest rates in the summer, it will have an unexpected side effect on spending as Canadians have been spending through increased debt, not rising income.


"To a certain extent debt is replacing income as a major driver of consumer purchases," he said. "Given the vulnerable starting point of the consumer, the Bank of Canada will soon find that even a moderate monetary squeeze will be sufficient to drive a material deceleration in consumer spending."


In particular, Mr. Tal found that mortgage debt accounts for about 70% of the total increase in household debt in the past year due to the skyrocketing Canadian real estate market.


Also, while the debt-service ratio has fallen to 2006 levels during the recession, it still remains elevated, so households will respond quickly to any interest rate changes. Mr. Tal said.


Other concerns include the fact that the gap between real estate gains and income growth is widening, suggesting stagnating or falling real estate markets in coming years, and that household debt is rising faster than assets.


"Despite the rebound in stock valuations and the recent surge in home prices, over the past two years Canadians have seen their liabilities rising twice as fast as their assets," he said.

[alwaysfishn]

This is from the report. Well in my 67 years I do not oftern see things go down in price only up. Today we saw a number of increases.

It's called inflation......  not HST

[chris gadsden]

It's called inflation......  not HST

Ok now inflation will continue to rise because of the added cost of the HST.

[Novabonker]

It seems that everyone that is either for or against the HST highlights only the points that support their argument. Here's a report summary from TD Financial Group which highlights both positive and negative aspects of the tax.

Thought I'd post it so some of the anti-Campell posters could have a little more of an argument besides "we don't like that #$@!&'n Campbell" ... or words to that effect.  

Here's a summary but the full link is below.  http://www.hstincanada.com/2010/01/td-bank-hst-impact-report/

Key Highlights from the Report

• We estimate that the move to a harmonized sales tax (HST) will reduce the cost of doing business by a total of $6.9 billion in Ontario and British Columbia

At what cost to social programs?
• The majority of the cost savings will pass onto consumers in the form of lower prices, and con­sumers in both provinces could witness a 0.8% -0.9% drop in the pre-tax ticket prices on the purchase of goods and services

Wanna buy a bridge?


• However, the tax burden will shift from busi­nesses to consumers, who will now pay the flat HST on a broader array of goods and services than before, and the effective tax rate on con­sumption will increase by 1.5 percentage points Ontario and B.C. , and the overall price level will increase by 0.7 percentage points in both prov­inces

BINGO!!!
• The combined impact will lead to a permanent 0.4% increase in Canada’s average annual con­sumer price level relative to where it would have been without harmonization.
Doing a GREAT job on proving my points
Notable Excerpts

Since Ontario and B.C export and import a significant portion of their GDP, firms in these regions face a high degree of competition from foreign suppliers. Therefore, in order to attract more demand and increase profitability, firms will have to pass the majority of these savings forward to consumers.

See bridge for sale above

Although we anticipate that consumers will pay lower pre-tax prices on average, they will have to pay the flat HST on a broader array of goods and services than before, therefore increasing their effective tax rate on consumption.

Given the list of goods and services that will be affected by the new tax, we have estimated that Ontario consumers will experience an 8 percentage point increase in the posted tax rate on approximately 19% of their expenditures.

In B.C., consumers will be subject to a 7 percentage point increase on the tax rate on 21% of their expenditures. In Ontario and B.C., this will lead to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the effective tax rate.

Great way to stimulate the economy in a recessionary cycle!

Fortunately in On­tario (and in Toronto), about 90% of new homes are priced below $500,000 (and 75% of new homes are priced under $400,000) 4, so the majority of new homebuyers will be affected at the lower range. B.C. will likely be hit harder by the tax, as home prices in the province are higher than those in Ontario. Existing homes are about 30% more expensive in B.C. than they are in Ontario.

Housing is out of reach for most as the system is presently. Let's make it tougher!

Conclusions?

The report does not try and veil the fact that the HST has both positive and negative ramifications.  Overall the folks at TD are in favor of the added tax and believe it will simplify the current system, encourage job growth, and increase wages and investment. However they admit that in the short run it will raise consumer prices, and could have a negative effect on the housing industry, primarily in B.C. (this report was released before the B.C. gov changed the maximum cost of new house to $525,000).

I think it is up to us to be fully informed on potential benefits and shortcomings and to then take initiative to ensure that the least fortunate of our country are not going have to foot the bill.

http://www.td.com/economics/special/dp0909_hst.pdf

In one of her last acts as Finance Minister, Carole Taylor ended the corporate capital tax on banks -- $100 million a year in government revenue. Upon leaving government, Taylor joined the TD Bank board where she stands to earn $145,000 to $300,000 per year

Weird how that works.... Just a coincidence I suppose.If I had more time, I could put up the ex Liberals that now work for Liberals bootlickers and donors, but that's a lot of bandwidth to use up. It's not only Campbell that earns my disgust, but the whole troop of liars and con men that sit in power. NOT ONE has the cajones to stand up for what the electorate want, but they opt for the iron hand/s personal agenda.

Please excuse the cut and paste teacher, I just didn't have time to retool it.

The BC Healthy Kids Program now covers annual checkups along with other basic dental services – such as X-rays and fillings – for a total of $1,400 every two years.

YET

There's money in the sugar jar for :

Olympic tickets

120 million to oil and gas companies (no profit there)

7 million to build a free apartment building in China

Film Industry give away:
The credits, announced by Finance Minister Colin Hansen and Kevin Krueger, Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Arts, provide for a new BC Interactive Digital Media tax credit of 17.5 per cent of labour costs in the development of video games. It also sweetens the labour tax credit for foreign producers, raising it to 33 per cent from 25 per cent. The qualified labour expenditure cap rises from 48 to 60 per cent, and the digital animation and visual effects tax credit rises 2.5 per cent, from 15 to 17.5 per cent.

Cuts to community Addiction and Mental Health Services, sexual abuse counselling and autism services for children

The highest rate of child poverty for six years in a row

Cutting $10 million dollars of funding to community social services programs

 Millions of dollars in cuts for gaming and lottery funding to community programs


 800 teachers in Vancouver and more around the province have received layoff warning letters

 Cuts to thousands of surgeries and other medically necessary health care services to make up the $360 million in savings the BC government wants

 Increasing the cost of living to seniors living in care homes by raising care-home fees eight per cent in 2010 and 10 per cent in 2011, impacting 75% of seniors, leaving many seniors with only $275 per month for their personal needs
This is one of the most DISGUSTING pieces of frogpoop any heartless piece of trash could come up with)

The lowest minimum wage in Canada, with no increase in nine years, combined with one of the highest costs of living in the nation



Is this what we want for BC alwaysfishin? And you think sitting on one's butt and waiting for more decimation and give aways (BC Rail, Jordan River tree farm and on and on) is OK? Or should we stand up and be counted?
My Dad told me to stand up and fight for the right cause. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but simply put, I'd rather see my taxes go to seeing a kids teeth be taken care of or our seniors being afforded a bit of dignity before we start handing out money to a profitable business sector. When we as a society, start pushing the vulnerable to the side for a few dollars and get whitewash and male bovine excrement as reasoning then it is time to stand up and be counted instead of concluding that "I've got mine".

 If you want, I can hook you up with a torch and pitchfork.

[alwaysfishn]

Is this what we want for BC alwaysfishin? And you think sitting on one's butt and waiting for more decimation and give aways (BC Rail, Jordan River tree farm and on and on) is OK? Or should we stand up and be counted?
My Dad told me to stand up and fight for the right cause. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but simply put, I'd rather see my taxes go to seeing a kids teeth be taken care of or our seniors being afforded a bit of dignity before we start handing out money to a profitable business sector. When we as a society, start pushing the vulnerable to the side for a few dollars and get whitewash and male bovine excrement as reasoning then it is time to stand up and be counted instead of concluding that "I've got mine".

 If you want, I can hook you up with a torch and pitchfork.

As I said earlier, everyone will pick out the facts that support their argument and highlight them while ignoring the rest of the facts. I'm aware of the pros and cons and am realistic enough to realize that the perfect solution isn't available.

My Dad told me if I want to complain about something then I better have an alternate solution. How about some of you left leaning folks suggest some solutions on how the government can balance the budget and still provide the social programs everyone wants. Reality must suggest to you that one doesn't exist without the other... 

And try to remember that the businesses you suggest are making the huge profits are also the businesses that write your pay cheques. Chasing them out of the province could hurt you.

[Novabonker]

Where to  cut?
My personal favourite is the Public Affairs Bureau. There's no need for infomercials and propaganda machines in government. Disassemble the regional health boards and all the fat cat salaries and benefits from this massive failure.In fact, disassemble a lot of the boards and gravy that gets given to Liberal, um, board members.Bureaucracy has become a growth business but you don't see cuts there, just childrens dental programs.  Fire David Hahn. Ferry fares are an insult to riders and to reap a million a year for that is a disgraceful insult to all British Columbians. That was a fix - comparable remuneration , like Washington State ferries is in 250,000 to 300,000 area.  Direct that money back into health care. Downsize the cabinet.I've heard there's a proposed Ministry Of Ingrown Toenails( For John Van Dongen or John Les). The cabinet is bloated. Up sin taxes- I don't drink but I'll live with an extra $.50 to a buck on a pack on my pack of Players. Raise PST a penny. We lose our sovereign rights to taxation by handing them over to Ottawa. This one won't win me fans, but it would save money and generate revenue. Legalize marijuana. Distribute it, sell it through outlets like liquor stores and tax the crap out of it. The war on that hasn't been very successful, most Canadians are tolerant to it. Those are just a few off the top of my head. Tough choices, but needed ones.

Can I start sharpening the tines on that pitchfork for you yet?