HST Referendum

[[JT]]

[geForce]

[nature boy]

then the issue isn't with the hst, it's with the government. the hst then just becomes a scapegoat for our government's poor spending habits.
regardless of the taxes we pay, i'd rather live in canada than somewhere that has less tax but more government corruption, like say hong kong.

[[JT]]

[nature boy]

just watched that video. EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THAT VIDEO THAT JT POSTED, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FOR THAT GUY'S WITTY REMARKS.
i don't care if you don't get youtube at work, go home and watch it. it's funny and informative.

[nature boy]

i just want to bump this up so it doesn't get lost in all the whoring i just did.

[joel]

if people vote against hst it'll be because they feel it affects their individual situations more negatively than positively. they aren't thinking about the "provincial debt", i am pretty sure people are more concerned with their own finances first and foremost before worrying about some provincial and federal debt...

if hst costs that voter more money in the end, then he'll probably vote against it.

[joel]

[nature boy]

[nature boy]

[se7entse7en]

Services.

You want someone to create a website for you, it's now gonna cost you 7% (or 5% if/when they go to 10% HST ) more.
You want to get a new muffler put on your car? It's gonna cost you more in labour.
Need to call a plumber 'cause someone flushed a tampon down the toilet...
Need to get your septic tank pumped...
Babysitting...

Any time you pay someone to do something for you, it will cost you more.

So... in that sense, it is a new tax.

[nature boy]

when was the last time you got a website done for you personally?
or put a new muffler on?
or flushed a tampon down the toilet?

i'm not saying that you're wrong, but putting a new tax on something i never spend money on doesn't matter to me. again, it's the perceived cost that really isn't costing us.

[geForce]

My worry with HST is that the intended benefit doesn't necessarily translate to a real benefit.

I can definitely see the suggested benefits of the HST, but I don't trust businesses enough to lower their prices even with their cost savings. Plus, I've mentioned before that the timing of the HST was horrible. We're still reeling from the recession, especially for small businesses. That means a couple of things:

- The intended benefits of the HST at the consumer level theoretically will not be noticed until years down the road. It's not an immediate effect. That means, at a time of recession, people will be even less inclined to spend the much needed economy boosting money due to the HST.
- Businesses are in recovery mode, so any cost savings that they're enjoying will most likely be used to recover losses and the last thing in their mind is to lower their prices to the end consumer. In fact, I've seen price increases more than I've seen price reductions when eating out.

My thoughts on HST is that it is definitely a good thing, but it is in bad timing and bad implementation.

By the way - we're not the only province that is against the HST. We can't really use the "hate Gordon Campbell, not the HST" argument, like the video suggests.

[se7entse7en]

and I'm not saying the hst is necessarily bad, just pointing that the cost of your groceries can go go up 'cause it may cost more to have them shipped. The cost of your car insurance can go up 'cause it now costs more to fix your cars etc...

I'm not smart enough to say whether in the big picture things will cost us more or if they will be balanced out in the end.

When I first heard about the HST:
I was choked. It was my understanding at the time that I would have to charge my employer 7% more. Them being American, they'd never pay and so I'd end up having to pay out of my pocket an additional 7% from the already 5% I was paying because of the GST... off of my paycheck. Add in the brutal exchange rate...
Turns out my employer was actually GST exempt, and as such, they were also HST exempt and I wasn't supposed to take the 'hit'. Reveue Canada ended up refunding me all the GST that I payed over the years.

I'm now less choked about the HST.

In the end, I think everything will balance out.

[nature boy]