Sunday # 1
Lou Rinaldi, that vertically challenged man who represents us with platitudes and apparent indifference to anything that cannot be put in a press release, is defending the provincial move to the HST. After reading much about it I now know what infuriates me about this cash grab. Never mind the fact that it will bite into my disposable income by taxing products which are currently not taxed, but the consumer will pay. This is not a progressive or fair tax. Businesses will be able to claim "input credits" and get rebates. Why should this be. It will mean a huge shift in taxpaying from business to consumer. Totally unfair.
"Business will thrive" says Lou, but at whose expense? If there's anything we know about consumer economics is that there is only so much money to go around and all these moves in taxation shifts do is to move the burden. If the HST and the elimination of Provincial sales tax is doing nothing other than allowing business to claim "input credits" which would not accrue any credit to business, just how will businees thrive as Lou claims. And more importantly why is the Chamber of Commerce all over this one? There is more to this than meets ny eye! The consumer is going to get hosed and they feel powerless to stop it. It will be interesting to see just how successful the NDP is going to be in the next BC by-election, with the HST as a central issue.
"Business will thrive" says Lou, but at whose expense? If there's anything we know about consumer economics is that there is only so much money to go around and all these moves in taxation shifts do is to move the burden. If the HST and the elimination of Provincial sales tax is doing nothing other than allowing business to claim "input credits" which would not accrue any credit to business, just how will businees thrive as Lou claims. And more importantly why is the Chamber of Commerce all over this one? There is more to this than meets ny eye! The consumer is going to get hosed and they feel powerless to stop it. It will be interesting to see just how successful the NDP is going to be in the next BC by-election, with the HST as a central issue.
4 comments:
When I worked for the Fair Tax Commission under the NDP in the early 90's, the HST was on our list of taxes to consider. This idea is not new and several provinces adopted it years ago.
No consumption tax is fair because it is not based on the ability to pay like income tax. For example, we have no choice but to buy toilet paper, rich or poor.
Sixty years ago tax revenue came equally from business and individuals. Now that balance has been tilted considerably away from business, who pay dramatically less now than in the past. That's not fair either, but we have been conned by big and small business groups that they are the engine of the economy and thus in need of special treatment.
As long as we tolerate that, we will continue to be screwed, HST or not.
... but in other posts, the lament is that businesses are pulling up stakes and moving our jobs wholesale to states in the U.S. that give 5 years tax relief and government start-up subsidies because they've been devastated by hurricanes or whatever, or, The Phillipines, or, wherever. What new jobs are created in Cobourg? The ones where the new company is given 5 years municipal tax relief and federal start up subsidy. Paying tax on toilet paper is, as Deb says, pretty much unavoidable. Buying life's essentials when you have no job and your EI has been exhausted is pretty much impossible.
I did not vote for Mr. Rinaldi. It is unlikely that I ever would vote for a representative of his party unless it was a vote against the Conservative because I thought there was a danger they might get back in.
But I do have a grudging respect for Lou. He is quite the politician. He remembers everybody's name, he remembers what everybody's involvements in the community are, he comes across as humble when he gives the standard appearances at various events and shares the glory while he's there. He gets a lot done for individual constituents and for his riding as a whole.
These are good characteristics in a local member of provincial parliament. We could do better, sure. But we could do a lot worse and we have in the past.
L'il Lou may be fine when it comes to cutting ribbons at store openings and delivering cheques from the Province (our tax money), but if he is challenged he quickly becomes defensive and rude. He doesn't listen either, he just wants to talk talk talk, like a good liberal.
I have participated in meetings with the MPP on several occasions, and each time it was worse. In the end, our group gave up even trying.
Post a Comment