Happy Canada Day NCC and supporters. RE HST, As hated as this is, people tend to forget and it will become normal life again just like the GST. Recall when Liberals went with it and the promise to scrap it? All good now. And people overwhelming support ON libs and their tax and spend campaign. They are NOT all the same folks. The PCs will have priority spending just like we had in the late 90s. I paid HST last Sunday when I purchased a Conservation Pass in Halton. It for use in the new HST era so I had to pay up.

July 1 will be at least partly happy for me, celebrating my birthday. So far, I have managed to “celebrate” a bit of avoiding the HST by purchasing several medium-ticket items this week instead of in July when they will be subject to HST. I would not mind the HST at all if it really was going to be revenue neutral, at least in the first year of implementation. But, as we all know, that was never the plan of Dalton McSpendy’s Lieberals.

Ontario - Remember all of the lies in October 2011. Dare I say that maybe we should have a return of common sense to Ontario!?

Thanks to the HST many Canadians are not going to have much fun this summer. Unfortunately a deep depressing malaise will quickly set in as naive citizens soon realize that they have been duped. Let’s all try to have a wonderful day tomorrow at least.

Hi Peter:
Well…as Geoffrey would likely do & your Dad too…I’m doing the best I can to beat the extra tax!!! Have prepaid my funeral & been to the booze store to stock up…ready for your next visit!?! Hope you & yours have a happy first holiday w/end too. Love & hugs. Judith

Neither the Fraser Institute nor I agree with you on the HST.Firstly, we will make our manufacturing industries more competitive, secondly we will rid ourselves of two provincial beaurocracies that administer the PST and, thirdly our personal tax rate in BC has been reduced to at least partially compensate. The quarrel I have with the provincial government is that they did not explain the HST, it’s reasons and it’s advantages.

Hey John

Thanks for your comments. We do not disagree that it will be good for manufacturing companies. The key is do they pass any savings on? Will they hire more people? Let’s hope the answer to both is a resounding yes. But, this is for sure a LARGE tax grab on consumers and we will just have to see how this plays out! This is no way a neutral tax as they tall foreheads would like you to believe.

Time will tell how this plays out and we will be watching and monitoring for sure. The days of politicians in British Columbia lying and avoiding dialogue about these changes during an election campaign are over. Let’s hope that accoutable and responsible government is a result of the pressure from hard working British Columbians.

Happy Canada day to you

Peter Coleman

My comments regard our so called democratic represented governments which I view as being neither, in the true sense of the words, democratic nor represented.

In the speech to the throne our Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that democracy is: Rule by the people. I can’t help but wonder what he meant by rule by the people. I believe that when we elect people to represent us that this is exactly what they should do - represent us! I am convinced that very few politicians seek the advice of their constituents on important issues faceing Canada or their province. A good example is the failed deal between Hydro Quebec and NB Power. Even though the majority of people of New Brunswick were opposed to the sale of NB Power, the premier of New Brunswick was going to go ahead with the sale. And the leader of the opposition declared that democracy had been served when in actuality democracy had nothing to do with the failed deal, it failed because Quebec wanted to change the conditions. Another example is the Premier of Nova Scotia promising not to raise taxes and then after he won a majority adding 2% on to the provincial tax (which by the way starts July 1) stating that he had no idea how badly was the financial situation of Nova Scotia. I found it interesting when Steve Murphy interviewed Bob Rae that Bob Rae stated that the premier would have known how badly the financial situation of Nova Scota was before the NDP winning a majority.

Personally I am tired of our politicians making promises and not following through with these promises. I am tired of our politicians taking advantage of the public purse by giving themselves financial advantages that, although deemed legal, are very suspicious and hedge more on the greed side than the need side. Once again, Nova Scotia politicians being a good example. I am tired of our governments spending millions and in the case of the G8 and G20 billions of dollars when it has been stated that we as a country and provinces are in financial difficulties. I truly believe that our federal and provincial governments continue to waste taxpayer money without even batting an eye, and then when crunch time comes they raise taxes (HST in Ontario and British Columbie) in order to be able to continue to function as a government and of course to make sure that they are able to continue to receive their pay checks and perks.

I know that this is not going to go over big with some Canadians but I believe that we should do away with the Governor General and Lientenant Governors. We do not need this tax burden as these offices, for the most part, are nothing but show and serve no useful political function. I have nothing against the Queen, she is a lovely woman, but as a multicultural country it is time we got rid of the monarchy.

Regardless of the prattle the BC Liberals or their supporters state, the consumer will be paying more taxes tomorrow and it will not ever be revenue neutral. And history shows that the benefits that business may experience, generally is not be passed on to the consumer. The GST, alone, is proof of that reality.

What I struggle with is the dishonesty of the BC Liberals in the last election regarding the HST and the total lack of regard and respect they hold for the people they are supposed to serve. I agree with John that they have not explained the benefits very well at all, but I disagree with his take on the lowered taxes. So what if they have lowered our provincial taxes. This new tax scheme raises them again. They knew what they were going to do all along. It is like someone coming to our front door distracting us with a gift, while their partners come in the back door and steal from us. The reality is, we still pay more taxes! And we are supposed to say thank you!! I think not!

Manuafacturing and Big Business may benefit, but what about small business, such as restaurants that will see an immediate drop in business? I am a business owner and adding 7% onto my fees has just limited my potential customer base. How does it help me if I can get some of the HST back at the end of the year, when my overall income potential has just been effectively dealt a negative blow?

I am a painting contractor and do small interior re-decorating projects. I find that most of my customers do not understand that as of tomorrow I will be required to collect, from them, 120% more tax than I did today. (5% GST to 12% HST) They will be shocked and surprised at my bill and will hencforth ask me if I will work for cash. I know this because it happened when the GST was implemented. Every service industry self-employed person in BC and Ontario will be faced with this dilema. Happy Canada Day!

Under your many readers there are some because of age or other reason has a decreased eye sight which make it difficult to read your messages other then copying it on Word and then enlarge it.
Why don’t you incorporate a zoom in your system as many others have, to make it easier for your handicapped readers.
It is not the first time that I have suggested this to you with no results. Hope this time their will be a chage.
HAPPY CANADA DAY

In general, the HST is better than the PST, since it is a value-added tax, and is only collected once, rather than multiple times. That said, the main problem is that it is a huge tax grab, and not even remotely revenue neutral. The HST in Ontario should probably be around 11%, not 13%, to equal the old GST at 5% and PST at 8%.

Far worse is the fact that HST will be collected on sales of used cars. What logic could possibly be used to justify collecting tax on the same car more than once, just because it changed owners?

I refuse to say “Canada Day” because of the sleazy way the “Dominion Day” title was destroyed by the federal Liberals lo these many years. The term “Dominion” comes from the biblical phrase “And He shall have dominion from sea to sea” Trudeau and his henchmen in their ignorance,-or with malice aforethought, assumed it referred to Britain having dominion over Canada, and that, of course insulted the poor Quebeckers. The vote, as I recall, was late on a Friday afternoon, with only a handful of members present and with no prior discussion. Every July 1st I wear a tee-shirt with a picture of John A. on the front which says- “Give me back Dominion Day” and as I am of proud British stock–3rd generation, I fly the Union Jack every July 1st.

I am still waiting for my first OAS cheque …… our gov decided to NOT pay ….. as usual , unilateral motion , as an employer I HAD to contribute , as an employee i HAD to contribute…. I did on both counts but….
They had to pay ALL canadians OAS but Oh no….. not the 3% of the population …..

The protests in Toronto are a clear indicator that what the young people are taught in Universty is not in harmony with our current system. So the question is what is wrong with the curriculum or what is wrong with the system. The irresponsible behavior of some of the protesters amounted to just plain disregard for the city of Toronto and the law.
It would be a much better world if we as individuals attempted to live a faultless lifestyle, rather then blame the rest of society for our short comings. You get out of life what you put into life. There is no such logic that you get out of life what you take. Our agenda for next Autumn should be to educate people in the reality that if you compete in the category of behavior, everything will fall into place with an end result of progress and happiness.

Happy Dominion day.

A dominion we were confederated as in 1867 and a Royal dominion we remain today - a “Dominion” as per our founding (unchanged, active) documents. A dominion is a semi-autonomous commonwealth realm of a monarch with an elected government but a monarch as head of state. This is what Canada IS. The Statutes of Westminster and all of PET’s pirouetting and Perizeau’s hubris changed nothing regarding Canada’s official status as a commonwealth Dominion of the royal realm.

This IS and shall remain “Dominion Day”.

Hell, if we lie to ourselves about our independence what other Ottawa-concocted myths are we prepared to live with?