Assorted content to end your week.- thwap is among a few bloggers to rightly slam the Cons’ obscene message to flooded Quebeckers that the only way they can hope for help is if somebody stands to profit from it:Toews (is) justifying removing Canadian F…
Continue readingTag: HST
The Progressive Economics Forum: BC to Raise Corporate Taxes
Amazingly, BC’s government has joined its official opposition in proposing to restore the provincial corporate income tax rate from 10% to 12%. The same government that cut from 12% to 10% would now reverse itself as part of a last-ditch effort to save the HST. Revenue from a higher corporate tax rate would help finance […]
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Tim Hudak vs. his own record
Tim Hudak once said he’d fight the HST “tooth and nail” after being accused of flip-floping on the long record of PC support for a harmonized tax system, and now he has done a double-flip flop, by saying he wouldn’t fight the HST at all, but would inst…
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Tim Hudak vs. Randall Denley
Tim Hudak has pushed aside an active nomination to appoint Randall Denley as PC candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean.Tim Hudak is also hoping to push aside Denley’s criticism of Hudak and his reckless rookie scheming, but as you can see below, Hudak is less…
Continue readingPumped
The Toronto Star reports on the latest tit-for-tat between Stephen Harper and Jack Layton about who’s to blame for current and future gas price hikes:”Layton responded by saying gas prices are already too high and said Harper is to blame for some of it…
Continue readingRailroaded by Metrolinx: No Heat for You!
This is a video I shot, and produced, with Cheryl McNamara (writer), Jane Moffat (director), and Evan Moir (editor). To vote for us, link to the People for Corporate Tax Cuts contest at http://www.peopleforcorporatetaxcuts.ca All proceeds will go to the Citizens’ Climate Lobby to help us advocate for the clean
Continue readingRailroaded by Metrolinx: No Heat for You!
This is a video I shot, and produced, with Cheryl McNamara (writer), Jane Moffat (director), and Evan Moir (editor). To vote for us, link to the People for Corporate Tax Cuts contest at http://www.peopleforcorporatetaxcuts.ca All proceeds will go to the Citizens’ Climate Lobby to help us advocate for the clean
Continue readingRailroaded by Metrolinx: No Heat for You!
This is a video I shot, and produced, with Cheryl McNamara (writer), Jane Moffat (director), and Evan Moir (editor). To vote for us, link to the People for Corporate Tax Cuts contest at http://www.peopleforcorporatetaxcuts.ca All proceeds will go to t…
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: John Tory on the HST: "good economic and tax policy if we want to create jobs in the province of Ontario"
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/936390–tory-praises-mcguinty-s-courage-on-the-hst?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeedAnd this quote from McGuinty brings it home:“I’m absolutely convinced that the PCs in fact are supportive of the …
Continue readingThe NDP might win, but…
The NDP under Carole James is poised for a landslide election at this moment. But there is another 3 years to go before the vote. A lot can happen between then and now.
Its a perfect storm for the party, the governing BC Liberals are mired in scandal…
Continue readingBC Liberals outflank NDP on HST – get their Mojo back
That’s what I said. The Liberals out manoeuvred the NDP by tricking the NDP MLA’s to support the notion of the province-wide referendum in 2011. In one fell swoop, the Liberals moved the HST off the front burner and upstaged the NDP. By moving to a…
Continue readingOpen letter to the NDP
Given the state of affairs in BC right now, if I was a betting man, I’d bet on the NDP not just winning the next election, but betting the BC Liberals lose official party status too. The next BC legislature would probably have a landslide NDP governm…
Continue readingBC Liberal conspiracy to defraud BC voters – AGAIN!
Call me cynical, but MLA Blair Lekstrom’s exit from the BC Liberal caucus seems hardly genuine, possibly part of a carefully planned production that at its conclusion will see Premier Campbell exit government. In my view, he may have scripted his own e…
Continue readingHaldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Raise Your Voice, Stop the HST"
It seems that we are not being told all of the fine details when it comes to the “HST”. Two good reads, one from Toby Barrett and one from the National Post. Raise your voice to stop the HST “Public hearings; those two words go together nicely if you believe
Continue readingHaldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Raise Your Voice, Stop the HST"
It seems that we are not being told all of the fine details when it comes to the “HST”.
Two good reads, one from Toby Barrett and one from the National Post.
Raise your voice to stop the HST
“Public hearings; those two words go together nicely if you believe in true democracy.”
– Dalton McGuinty, December 6, 1999
As Haldimand and Norfolk residents continue to send in petitions to stop the 13 per cent McGuinty sales tax, government’s cavalier approach to force through his costly tax grab has turned up the volume at Queens Park.
Two weeks ago, government members initiated a scheme to silence opposition to their $3 billion dollar HST tax using parliamentary tricks to limit debate and deny any form of real public consultation.
As I’ve reported previously the HST would mean a 13 per cent tax on many everyday essentials not currently subject to PST – items ranging from gasoline, to electricity; haircuts to internet service. Even funerals would be hit. For a middle-income family of four, the HST would mean up to $2,500 a year in additional taxes.
It’s clear your phone-calls, letters, and signatures on petitions, as well as other forms of protest, all are having an impact.
Recently, Mr. McGuinty bowed to pressure scrapping the proposed HST on coffee, newspapers and meals under four dollars. But, we must continue to push for further climb downs.
To that end, we in Opposition continue to use every tool at our disposal to register the concerns of millions across the province.
Government attempts to short-circuit parliamentary debate forced PC members to stage a much publicized walk-out from the Legislature. The empty seats of caucus members served as a reminder to a government of the disdain for the tax.
With government bent on pushing their agenda through come hell or high water, we in Opposition are left to do everything possible to slow this train down before it pulls out of the station
Especially worrisome has been the admission from Finance Minister Dwight Duncan that the McGuinty Government’s HST deal contains a $4.3 billion poison pill designed to handcuff future governments from ever repealing tax grab.
Clearly, instead of putting cotton in their ears, this government should be listening to what people have to say through full public hearings. This is a tax on just about everything, paid by just about everyone!
If Mr. McGuinty actually believes that this tax grab is in the best interest of Ontario families – he would have the courage to hold open public consultations across the province. Instead we learned on Friday that the government plans to hold only one day of consultation on Thursday, in Toronto – and nowhere else!
With all this in mind, and time to voice dissent running out, anyone waiting on the sidelines should make their voices heard now. Contact my office to get your name on a petition or learn of other ways you can make your voice heard.
Time is of the essence as many HST related concerns and issues are leaking out daily. Adding to already well-founded consumer apprehension are hidden details about this tax the current government seems content to obscure.
For instance, many don’t realize that under the HST, Ontario surrenders its constitutionally-granted taxation powers to the whims of future federal governments. Once the HST is enacted, fundamental decisions about what is, and is not, subject to sales taxes will be made in Ottawa, not in the Ontario Legislature.
Meantime, at time of writing, news broke of the Federal government calling for a vote in Ottawa for or against the allowance of provinces to proceed with a harmonized sales tax. We’ll see.
One public HST hearing…in Toronto…a joke – Barrett
Queen’s Park – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett calls what the McGuinty government is proposing as public hearings for the Harmonized Sales Tax – one day, in Toronto – a complete joke.
“Here we have a government that is implementing a 13 per cent tax on just about everything, to hit just about everyone, turning around and offering one single day of consultation…in only Toronto…to serve as their acknowledgement of public input,” Barrett commented. “Legislation this costly, this taxing and creating so much opposition deserves to receive input from right across the province.”
The one day of hearings follows two weeks of government maneuvering to limit debate in the Legislature as well as Opposition calls for full public hearings on the issue.
The HST would mean a 13 per cent tax on many everyday essentials not currently subject to PST – items ranging from gasoline, to electricity; haircuts to internet service. Even funerals would be hit. For a middle-income family of four, the HST would mean up to $2,500 a year in additional taxes.
“While one day of hearings in Toronto can hardly qualify as public consultation, I do encourage anyone interested to contact the Committee Clerk to get their names on the docket and make their voice heard ” continued Barrett. “Perhaps if government sees the overflow of presentation requests they will think twice about turning their backs on the people of Ontario.”
Meanwhile Barrett noted that with time to voice dissent running out, anyone waiting on the sidelines to contact his office to get names on a petition or learn of other ways to stand against the 13 per cent tax grab.
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629
An interesting article that a friend sent me! A Must Read!
Following is an interesting article from National Post about six details of the Impending Harmonized Sales Tax that you may not know about.
Lisa MacLeod and Cyndee Todgham Cherniak: Six things you should know about the HST
Posted: November 19, 2009, 9:30 AM by NP Editor
On July 1, 2010, the Ontario Government plans to introduce a new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), which would combine Canada’s Goods and Services Tax and Ontario’s Provincial Sales Tax into a unified sales tax. The HST will directly increase the tax burden on middle-class Ontario families. Indirect impacts will drive up the cost of living further still.
What is most concerning are the hidden details about this tax that the current government seems content to obscure. Below, we have summarized the six things that Ontario taxpayers need to know about the HST before it is imposed by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government.
1. Under the HST, Ontario surrenders its constitutionally-granted taxation powers to the whims of future federal governments.
Right now, Ontario enjoys direct taxation powers granted under the Canadian constitution. However, under the HST plan, Ontario will give up its sales-tax powers to Ottawa through the federal Excise Tax Act. Once the HST is enacted, fundamental decisions about what is, and is not, subject to sales taxes will not be made in the Ontario legislature but will instead be made in Ottawa. It is not hard to foresee the day when a federal Minister of Finance could decide the fate of Ontario businesses when there is a tax dispute. It is also possible that the federal Excise Tax Act will be amended, regulations will be passed or administrative practice will change without Ontario’s input or approval, in which case Ontarians will become victims of taxation without representation.
2. Under the HST, it is likely that tax-included pricing, or hidden taxation, will come to Ontario.
Many of us prefer to know just how much of our money is actually being directed to government. Yet the moment Ontario joins the HST, an obscure piece of federal legislation kicks in that will allow sellers to conceal just how much tax you are paying on the products you buy. The taxpayers of tomorrow will be denied straightforward information that is taken for granted by taxpayers today.
3. There is no evidence that harmonized taxes work in other federal jurisdictions.
The McGuinty government promotes the notion that 130 other countries have adopted a “value-added tax” such as the HST. This is misleading. The HST represents more than just a single value-added tax — it represents a blending of sales taxes between two levels of government. No other developed country has successfully imposed a joint value-added tax at both the federal and state/provincial levels of government. (In any case, Canada’s federation is dissimilar from that of many OECD countries.) Ontario needs a made-in-Ontario tax regime that reflects the realities of the Ontario economy.
4. There will be hidden costs for Ontario businesses to comply with the HST.
Any business that has been audited will understand that the administrative burden associated with tax-law compliance is substantial. Any change to tax laws forces businesses to spend money to both understand the new regime and live up to their obligations under it.
5. Businesses might not reduce their base prices after implementation of the HST.
Unless the McGuinty Government also plans to restrict prices that businesses may charge, there is no legal obligation for any business to lower its prices on July 1, 2010. In fact, the HST regime includes unrecoverable HST costs that will be passed on consumers. For example, many businesses engaged in exempt activities (e.g., financial institutions, rental housing, nursing homes, etc.) will pay HST on what they themselves buy. Also, businesses with sales over $10-million will not be able to get 100% input tax credit on some of the HST it pays for at least six years. Over that time, the only other cost-recovery method available to them will be higher prices.
6. Once the HST is implemented, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to undo. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the McGuinty Government, Ontario cannot opt out of the HST regime for five years without risk of massive penalties. No matter how disastrous the HST might be, Ontarians will be locked in to this dubious plan for a long haul.
National Post
Continue readingHaldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Raise Your Voice, Stop the HST"
It seems that we are not being told all of the fine details when it comes to the “HST”. Two good reads, one from Toby Barrett and one from the National Post. Raise your voice to stop the HST “Public hearings; those two words go together nicely if you believe
Continue readingHaldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Say No to the HST"
Here are a couple of news releases from Toby Barrett in regards to the HST that McGuinty is going to push through come July 2010. You can have your voice heard by signing an on-line petition, there are a few of them out there, just google “HST” and you will
Continue readingHaldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Say No to the HST"
Here are a couple of news releases from Toby Barrett in regards to the HST that McGuinty is going to push through come July 2010.
You can have your voice heard by signing an on-line petition, there are a few of them out there, just google “HST” and you will find them.
If you don’t agree with the HST, don’t sit back and do nothing, once this is implemented it can not be reversed for “5” years!
Opposition protests HST at Queens Park
Government refuses to listen so opposition stages debate boycott!
Queen’s Park – If Government refuse to hear the voices of those opposed to its harmonized sales tax (HST) then what’s the point of debate?
That was the underlying theme of a Progressive Conservative Caucus all out protest of question period at Queens Park. The empty seats of the caucus of members served as a reminder to a government bent on ramming through the HST of the disdain across the province for undemocratic tactics. Last week, three Opposition members were removed from the House.
“This government refuses to consult on the HST – they have effectively muted the province,” Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Barrett noted this morning. “Today’s protest was a visual display of the code of silence McGuinty is imposing on any opposing voices.”
Currently, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak is doing the job that Dalton McGuinty should be doing by traveling throughout Ontario to hear the concerns of the middle class families, seniors and small businesses who have the most to lose from Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax grab
The HST would add eight percent to the cost of many everyday essentials not currently subject to PST, including gasoline, home heating, hydro, haircuts and internet service. Even funeral services would become more expensive. For the average middle-income family of four, it is estimated that the HST would mean up to $2,500 per year in additional sales taxes.
“Clearly, government knows they don’t have the support of the people on this and are doing everything they can to ram it through,” stated Barrett. “In Opposition we’re left to do everything we can to slow this train down before it pulls out of the station!
Barrett stressed that anyone waiting on the sidelines had better make their voices heard now as once the HST is implemented, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to undo. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the McGuinty Government, Ontario cannot opt out of the HST regime for five years without risk of massive penalties.
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629
Hey Mr. McGuinty: not so fast!
Panicked government resorts to procedural tricks to ram through hated HST
Queens Park – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett is asking government “what’s the rush?” as McGuinty and his gang race to force their unpopular harmonized sales tax into law.
Barrett spoke out following a media conference in which PC Leader Tim Hudak decried the use of underhanded tactics to quickly implement the HST and silence debate.
“Instead of putting cotton in their ears, this government should be listening to what the people have to say,” Barrett noted. “To that end, we are calling for full public hearings to discuss this tax on just about everything with those it will impact – just about everyone!”
Today, the McGuinty Liberals introduced a supply bill that includes legislation to formally implement the HST – debate will accordingly be curtailed to ensure passage of third and final reading debate Thursday. Barrett speculated that the blind rush is to prevent any further caving, in addition to McGuinty’s panicked exemptions last week.
“We know this government will not take action until it’s backed into a corner, as we saw an example of last week,” stated Barrett. “It’s time to finish the deal, allow the public their say – stop this tax in its tracks!”
Given the abbreviated timelines if government gets its way, Barrett reminded concerned taxpayers that it is more important than ever to get their names on petitions to fight the sales tax. Those interested in more petition sheets can contact Barrett’s Simcoe office for more information.
The McGuinty HST will mean a 13 per cent sales tax on everything from gas to electricity, haircuts and home heating fuel.
Haldimand's Unheard Voice: Haldimand "Say No to the HST"
Here are a couple of news releases from Toby Barrett in regards to the HST that McGuinty is going to push through come July 2010. You can have your voice heard by signing an on-line petition, there are a few of them out there, just google “HST” and you will
Continue reading