As of me writing this, it feels really nice outside, 15 degrees. Of course I am not in pothole central, instead I am in Wyoming. Before anyone says anything, YES, I am rubbing it in.

Now, I believe that our political system needs to be reformed, and to be honest, I think that the US got it right. You vote for your representative AND the leader, not like what we do, vote for the party. That being said, we need to keep The lieberals out of office. Given their history , them saying “we will freeze the carbon tax” really means “open your wallets at the fuel stations”. We will be lucky if it only doubles, I would expect them to TRIPLE, if not MORE , the carbon tax. Just remember what they have done to BC.

Of course we can’t forget what the NDP did in the past, however, (and I could be wrong on this, if I am, I know some of you will correct me) all of the politicians have moved on, with their hired goons.

It is unfortunate that we have to vot for idiots, but that seems to be the only ones running for office *cough “mayor and council”cough*

Where does everyone have their offshore accounts?

The Opinion poll asks

“Do you expect to pay less with the return of the PST ?”

90% say no.

Very confusing!

It’s a fact we lowely citizen taxpayers carry the largest tax burden in BC, but with the return of the old PST/GST system there are once again many items that are cheaper than they were under the dreaded HST.

How then, do 90% feel the way they do?

Don’t you really understand?

It is because HST lovers just keep voting no. The software can be manipulated easily. If you vote then close the browser then reopen the browser then vote again it changes up or down how ever you want it to go. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. These liars still can not handle defeat. Thank goodness most taxpayers are indeed smart enough to know that things are in fact cheaper now. Just look at your recipts. You certainly don’t need a opinion poll here to tell you that. Just wait another month and 9 days. May 14. And then you will see defeat big time when all the LIE-berals are ejected from office. Then you will see these HST lovers really upset. They some how think taxpayers are going to re-elect gordons bum kissers. LOL LOL LOL. Thank you Bill for helping the taxpayers of BC EXTINGUISH the HST. We won’t need your help to EXTINGUISH the LIE-berals. They done it all themselves. Thanks also to all the canvassers who collected the required signatures in all 85 ridings to make it happen. Bye Bye and good riddance to the all LIE-berals.

I have already seen things cheaper , for example under the HST an XL coffee was $2.20 , and is now $2.06 . The part that is confusing me is that I thought the penny was phased out and prices were rounded off. So how do we get $2.06?

Just want to point out motorcycles are coming back out everyone please be careful out there , drivers and riders both .

Even though the penny was phased out the problem is regardless of where you are in Canada the tax added on will almost always end up not rounded off. This is the confusing part for many people if you pay with cash you pay to the nearest rounded amount whereas if you use debit or credit cards you pay the full amount. It makes scense to me.

On a side note I see that debit credit cards are coming here to Canada they are very popular in the US but relatively unknown here in Canada for those that know of or use them what is your feeling about the cards. I personally don’t like them.

I know it will never happen because it may kill a fish but they have to start using a better paint to mark the lanes on the highways and roadways in B.C. Maybe they can find something that will last more than a couple of months. Human lives are not as important as a fish I guess.

Most things I buy I have to pay both GST and PST anyway. I voted to abolish the HST because of the way the Libs introduced it. I also voted to get rid of it because of their friggin track record. They say one thing and then do another.

Do I think the NDP will be any better? Of course not. Give your head a shake. The MAJORITY of politicians are corrupt and do not really look out for their constituents. They seek only to pad their pockets with hard earned tax dollars.

I’m so disillusioned with politicians in this province that I can’t see any party or member worthy of my vote.

We need a good crooked polition that you don’t mind scimming a little off the top as long as the tax payer can see a few benifits .I like to see a politition with at least a ” insider trading ” investigation going on to show he or she is up to snuff.

A cache of 2.5 million files has cracked open the secrets of more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts, exposing hidden dealings of politicians, con men and the mega-rich the world over.

The secret records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists lay bare the names behind covert companies and private trusts in the British Virgin Islands, the Cook Islands and other offshore hideaways.

Secret Files Expose Offshore’s Global Impact

http://www.icij.org/offshore/secret-files-expose-offshores-global-impact

On the 250 opinion poll’s you don’t even have to get out and come back in. You just have to hit the yes or no then it’s how fast you can keep pressing the vote button and how long.

Over the last 13 years, the stock market has twice crashed and touched off a recession: American households lost $5 trillion in the 2000 dot-com bust and more than $7 trillion in the 2007 housing crash. Sooner or later — within a few years, I predict — this latest Wall Street bubble, inflated by an egregious flood of phony money from the Federal Reserve rather than real economic gains, will explode, too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/opinion/sunday/sundown-in-america.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp&

I keep my offshore accounts in Afghanistan and Iraq… was that a bad place to move my money?

Darn it…..

Here’s an interesting tidbit.

I happen to know someone who is an accountant and who’s firm was visited by a government worker to advise the firm of any changes to expect during the termination of the HST and re-introduction of the PST & GST.

That Government worker said that he had been hearing -from many of the people who voted AGAINST the HST- and that although they voted to eliminate the HST they actually believed that it was the better tax. They only voted “no” to stick it to the government.

Anyone else come across this type of mentality?

Just curious.

Hey everybody – The Dust Advisory is cancelled!!

There is a plus side to almost everything.

Really really slick out there people! Take your time and don’t be driving like idiots!

It’s PG peegee, no such thing as don’t be driving like and idiot in this town.

One of the biggest scams to be laid at our doorstep are the CFL bulbs. (compact fluorescent lightbulbs). We were promised up to 10,000 hours with these units. From my experience, as well as reading others experiences and a few online reports, they regularly only last 2000-5000 hours. I’ve read in a number of places that the simple act of turning the light on and off frequently will shorten it’s life. All bulbs are prone to this issue but CFLs are more so than others. That means to get our full 10,000 hours we need to leave the lights on all the time… not much of an energy saving.

I do realize that standard incandescent bulbs only last 1000 hours, but at the cost of those CFLs, they should be living up to their promise. Plus the light emitted by CFLs is damned ugly. I don’t like the blue wavelength of light they emit.

What I find most troubling about CFLs is how difficult they are to recycle and how dangerous they are if broken. If you break a standard bulb, you get a broom and dust pan. If you break a CFL, you need to ventilate the room for 15 minutes due to the mercury vapor in the air. Health Canada has a whole web page dedicated to dealing with a broken CFL, and minimizing your risks.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cfl-afc-eng.php

Effective 2014 the Federal Gov’t has mandated a lightbulb lighting efficiency that traditional lightbulbs will not meet. They will no longer be available for sale on Canadian shelves. Our only choices will be the CFL bulbs or the LED bulbs which are efficient but hard on the wallet. A standard 12.5W replacement LED (60W equivalent) will cost you about $20/bulb, but they do say they last 25,000 hours. I hope that isn’t the same study technique they used with CFLs.

Its the cleanest I have seen it outside in weeks! Gotta love how fresh snow looks.

Used to have one of the debit credit cards years ago when Integris was PG Credit Union. It was a MasterCard that came out of our chequing account. It was great. You never carried a balance so there was never any interest. You could only spend what was in your bank account. But you still have the benefit of having a credit card, like making reservations. They cancelled the program a few years ago, and was quite disappointed that we had to get a “real” credit card. If it came back, I’d get one again.

I got off work at 5 pm the other night and found a long line of vehicles both coming off the bridge and from the pulpmills waiting to enter the round a bout. I was pleasently surprised of the courtesy of the people letting one at a time go from the bridge then pulpmill road… of course this was the majority of the time.. on occasion you had the driver on the bridge not letting anyone in.. guess they really needed to be home that 30 secs faster. Yes I know the bridge does that the right of way.. but so nice to see most working together..

Actually newtechie taxpayers voted YES to stick it to the goverment. Remember the trick question? Trying to confuse taxpayers. Well that along with the stickman ads FAILED. Bigtime. One more month and a few days left for the LIE-berals now. We now get things cheaper and whether or not it’s true what techie says that don’t matter really. Taxpayers exercised their democratic rights and won the referendum. Thank you Bill.

newtechie: “That Government worker said that he had been hearing -from many of the people who voted AGAINST the HST- and that although they voted to eliminate the HST they actually believed that it was the better tax. They only voted “no” to stick it to the government.”

Pretty much sums it up. Let’s all stop pretending it’s anything else.

matty: “Actually newtechie taxpayers voted YES to stick it to the goverment. Remember the trick question? “

It was only a trick question for people like yourself matty.

anybody else see the irony of mattyc worshiping Billy Vanderzalm while calling the Liberals a number of names with “lie” in them?

It was only a trick question for people like yourself matty.

Wrong. Every single person knows that question was worded to confuse the voters. Let’s have a vote here today. Who believes johnnybelt? Who believes mattyc? Bets ya matty wins.

I vote JB – it was only a trick question if you someone has a grade two reading comprehension level

much like that sentence – hahaha, take out the word “you” Matty, I wouldnt want it to be directed at anyone personally ;)

You folks who complain about PG drivers haven’t seen really bad driving. Whole books have been written about how bad Boston drivers are. I have personally seen the vehicle ahead of me, in the third lane of Mass Ave, four lanes each direction, in heavy traffic, make a left turn, just ploughing across the two lanes to the left going the same direction and then the four going the other way. And then there was New Jersey where I spent a winter. That was truly terrifying. Urban highway traffic with people who do not know how to drive in snow going 60mph with no snow tires.

I’m disappointed Dix and the BC NDP will consider supporting the Rustad trades centre when CNC needs more support for their current trades training programs….shows the NDP are no different than the BC Liberals when it comes to following the money and supporting their donor’s agenda, i.e., Brian Fehr and the BID group….folks are getting fed up with the practice of politicians at all levels making back room deals with tax payer’s money only to favor their friends and campaign supporters with very little return on investment of public funds coming back to the community or to benefit the average citizen…

I would have accepted Clark’s 1o% HST offer.

Dearth said `On a side note I see that debit credit cards are coming here to Canada they are very popular in the US but relatively unknown here in Canada for those that know of or use them what is your feeling about the cards. I personally don’t like them.`
The bank gave my teenager one, and so I asked some questions. I don`t need my kid wracking up debt.
The card can only be used for the amount in her account, there is no credit involved. I like that she can now make her own online purchases. She used to have to beg me to put it on my card.
I now have one too, but have`t used it as a visa yet. However, there is this tap to pay feature, and I hate that. I worry that my account can be debited by having my wallet too close to the machine. With that feature, you just have to put the chip near the terminal, no pin, no buttons to push. I guess I`ll need a metal lined wallet. LOL

Report from New York – “KFC to offer boneless chicken to make it easier for customers to eat.”

Really? Seriously? Chicken is hard to eat? Are we getting that soft? Besides I thought they already did that. Calling them chicken strips.

“It was only a trick question for people like yourself matty.” I vote matty. There is no doubt in my mind it was worded in the hopes of confusing those who wanted to axe it since they gov’t knew they were the clear majority. I know several elderly who were ready to just vote NO because they thought they were saying no to the HST. Education has nothing to do with it, reading comprehension plays a bigger part and a lot of people 70+ don’t always comprehend what they are reading. That is why they are the largest target for con men and dishonest companies. So the gov’t basically took a page out of the con mans book for this referendum.

Drove down the Hart Highway this morning:

IndianapolisNorth 500! People tailgating others who are already doing 85 in the left lane!

Just coming home:

Tow trucks, rescue trucks, vehicles off the road banged up and on the shoulders! Flashing lights everywhere…

No wonder ICBC rates are always going up!

I wonder when they will even START cleaning the streets this year!! Last year they had started before this date and there was even some ice by the curbs….this year there is not!!!!!!

Just snowed 2 inches this morning…..

Hey Charles, even a broken clock is right twice a day. You are a classic doomsday predictor…keep calling for a mass collapse into anarchy and maybe eventually it will happen! I think there is some kool-aid and a space ship ready to take you off to a passing asteroid…

FACT–the vast majority of North American investors, while temporarily stunned by the market crashes of 1987, 2000 and 2008, recouped all of their losses and then some every time. How? By staying the course and not listening to Chicken Little BS spewed by the tinfoil hat crowd. Economies ebb and flow but history shows the graph always heads NE over time. If you’re that far in debt that you have to hope for a mass financial collapse to feel better about your own situation…then you weren’t managing your finances very well in the first place and are clearly way over your head regardless of home prices or not–it has nothing to do with the media or any other conspiracy theories you care to put forward.

Really being aside, I bought 4 litres of paint at Home Depot for about $48 dollars. (nuthin’ but the best for me). Next to the 4 litre can is a one litre can of the same paint for $23 dollars. I kid you not. Same at General Paint, Cloverdale Paint and at Sears. All of them and I mean every clerk could not explain the reasoning of this to me. Any paint “know-it-alls” out there who can set me straight?

“That Government worker said that he had been hearing -from many of the people who voted AGAINST the HST- and that although they voted to eliminate the HST they actually believed that it was the better tax. They only voted “no” to stick it to the government.

Anyone else come across this type of mentality?”

Only on here!

P Val, it is courteous to do that on the roundabout BUT it is also dangerous to do that. If one follows the rules of the roads and prepares to enter the roundabout because they can see that no one is coming from their left and all of a sudden some “courteous” person in front of you stops when they aren’t supposed to, you can have an accident. Courteous doesn’t always equal smart. Yes, I know that if you rear end someone it’s your fault but if you see that no one is coming from the left, then you should be able to figure that you don’t have to slow right down to a stop.

I have nothing against courteous people. In fact, I encourage it in people :)

Saw what I thought was a pretty funny article this morning in the Citizen. I didn’t have time to read it completely through but the gist of it read that the City of PG was looking at having City employees do their mechanical work because it would be cheaper. I laughed out loud.

Fortunately someone working within the City said that it wouldn’t be cheaper, that it would actually be more expensive so the idea was rejected. Can’t believe the City spent time even thinking about this.

Dragonmaster on April 5 2013 10:59 AM
“That Government worker said that he had been hearing -from many of the people who voted AGAINST the HST- and that although they voted to eliminate the HST they actually believed that it was the better tax. They only voted “no” to stick it to the government.

Anyone else come across this type of mentality?”

The Poters of the Liberals Fan Club getting more and more confused and desperate.
Gives me always a good laugh.
Great entertainment!!!

P Val says,….”Yes I know the bridge does that the right of way..”

I’m assuming you meant…. Yes I know the bridge does (have) the right of way.. ?

You are incorrect. Drivers in the circle have the right of way and everyone else must fall in behind them. Or force their way in, which is quite often the case with all the idiots that have drivers licences.

bornandbreed, I agree.. but the lines of traffic where at a standstill so the Zipper action worked very well. I do agree if there is a constant flow you concern is definitley valid.

Dragonmaster..yes you are right..and as the bridge traffic will be in the circle before the pulpmill traffic they have the right of way. The only way anyone from the pulpmill would have the right of way over the bridge is if they were just going around and around..

Thanks for the correction on my grammer :)

Loving the snow NOT…

When I came home from work after midnight, the city was cleaning Tyner Blvd, Too bad it wont continue while this white crap is present. I knew it was too early to remove my winter tires……lol. Have a great snow day all.

Mattyc, just checked the other day and find that I need some repairs on my sun deck. With you doing home renos I thought you would be interested in the job. If so meet me at Wendy’s on the by pass and we can discuss under the table cash payment. don’t worry about the amount because I know wher I can get a 15% refund. Also when you come can you bring your instruction manual on how to disable parking meters.

The new police detachment is obscenely nice ! The police are supposed to be on the road policing so this is a pretty nice building for city staff to be working. It will soon be the nicest building in the city, overvshadowing the court house which is another colossal waste of taxpayers money ! Where are the gate keepers ?

The main reason the HST referendum was a success was due to the fact so many taxpayers were against the Liberals shift of the tax burden from business to their families.

The only people that liked the HST are those it personally benefited. Those who are a minority.

The idiocy is absolutely breathtaking.

Dragon: “The only people that liked the HST are those it personally benefited.”

What a crock of you know what. If that were the case, 45% would not have voted to keep it.

Interceptor says, “I vote JB – it was only a trick question if you someone has a grade two reading comprehension level”

The question was in reality a controversial one at the time that got plenty of air time questioning it.

Wow here is an election promise that should garner the fiberals votes, they will not raise the scamming carbon tax. This scam has cost Josh Van Hage 12000 dollars. Money that has gone to the fiberals friends. This tax scam is also paid by schools and hospitals that can least afford it.

Grant seeker Kyle Aben of the Pacific Institute for climate Solutions talks about reducing greenhouse gas but fails to mention like a true grant seeker there is no empirical science how much green house gases affects the climate if any at all despite hundreds of billions spent on research. The projections of grant seekers is based on computer programs and not real observable data. The real observable data shows no global warming for at least the last twenty years despite all the dire warning computer programs run by grant seekers. In fact there has been a slight global cooling since 2008. If the grant seekers and their programs are so good how come they did not see that coming.

Using past statistics of past climatic cycles and real observable data we are entering a cooling period and it could get serious. The overall climate in Europe, Asia, Russia, Siberia areas of the southern Hemisphere have shown a cooling trend for the last five years. There have been more low temperature records broken in North America than warm, but you would not know that with the hype the mass media put on high temperature records. The South pole in its last polar winter had a record low temperature. Arctic ice has seen its biggest rebound in recovery since recordings started. Some grant seekers have even said this cooling is proof of climate change, funny. Oh the words global warming, got dropped by the grant seekers as a descriptor a few years back. Got changed to climate change since the warming thing was not working out very well.

Oh about lowering our carbon emissions right out of your wallet, Kyle conveniently left out the part BC’s emissions only amount to about .001% of the worlds output anyhow. So Josh you got your pocket picked for nothing what so ever. Another thing while all these grant seeking, feel good, self proclaimed dogooders are picking your pockets, China, Russia, India even that greenest of green countries Germany are building C02 emitting coal fired power plants as fast as they can.

Costs of the carbon tax, gasoline-6.67 cents a litre, Diesel-7.67 and natural gas 5.7 per cubic metre. Considering our transportation and heating costs in the north that all adds up very fast.

How come the rich like Suzuki, Gore, the idiots in Hollywood want us to cutback and go without while they march on with a lifestyle most of us cannot comprehend.

So Kyle Aben should not every good scientist be a sceptic? Oh sorry its abut the money, I forgot.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/04/05/warming-and-worry-go-awol/

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/04/05/freeman-dyson-speaks-out-about-climate-science-and-fudge/#more-83443

itelman says, “I would have accepted Clark’s 1o% HST offer.”

10% or 12%, there was a whole lot more things taxed under the HST than were taxed under the PST system. Therefore we all, (except for business) would have paid more than our fair share than we currently do.

Posted by: JohnnyBelt on April 5 2013 11:26 AM
Dragon: “The only people that liked the HST are those it personally benefited.”

What a crock of you know what. If that were the case, 45% would not have voted to keep it.

I guers 45% is a minority

Mattyc, so I take it that your not going to meet with me. I could do it myself but I could make some money on this.

suzir: “I guers 45% is a minority”

And your point is…?

Posted by: retired senior on April 5 2013 11:36 AM
Mattyc, so I take it that your not going to meet with me. I could do it myself but I could make some money on this.

?????????????
My math tells me, you make the most money, when you do it yourself, for you just pay for the material.
Or are you not a retired senior?
As a retired senior you have tons of time and some exercise is always good for the elderly!

Posted by: JohnnyBelt on April 5 2013 11:42 AM
suzir: “I guers 45% is a minority”

And your point is…?
My point is, the minority has to accept. If they like it or not?

And I remember very well, when the MWSt. in Germany startet (same like her HST)
It startet out by 7 %, now they are at 19 %, other Europ. countries pay even more –
and who is paying that? The normal Joe, not thd companies.
So I am more than glad, that we got rid of this kind of tax.
Have a look at Europe, maybe that will help to understand

suzir2000…. while I understand your rage of the HST, using Germany was a really bad example. They have a very strong economy and are bailing out the rest of Europe almost by themselves.

Also their VAT of 19% isn’t across the board. They have a reduced VAT of 7% for food, books and print, public transport, hotel accommodation and other basic goods.

JohnnyBelt is a HST lover. He is not about to give up his view despite overwhelming information that shows he doesn’t know what he is talking about.

You don’t shift $1.6 Billion dollars to consumers and not have a huge tax increase.

Seems when it was shifted back the President of the Chamber of Commerce referred to it as a $1.5 Billion dollars tax increase to business and corporations.

You cant have it both ways.

Those opposed to the HST did the right thing by getting rid of it. Those in favor are pissed off because we no longer pay their taxes for them.

JohnnyBelt seems to think he knows why people voted the way they did. Fact of the matter is, they voted to get rid of a tax increase, and at the same time dealt a body blow to Campbell and the Liberal party.

The final blow will come on May 14th.

Well said, Palapou.
I agree 100%

Lies

You mean like one poster who one day is retired and the next works under the table and is “always busy”?

or

One day is wealthy enough that he does not have to work and the next can’t pay back taxes bc “can’t get blood from a stone”?

—————————————

Saw that CRA is going to start paying a “finders fee” of 10% of money recovered from tax cheats….will have to dig into that one a little deeper

: Pylot Project
I know it is on 19 % on everything, but on most items. What ever you buy, the MWSt. is already included, so they do not even show it.
I just mentioned it as am example.
They startet the MWSt. with 7 %, in those days nothing of food, but it is a tax very easy to raise and how they are at 19% on most items.
In other countries like ireland it is much worse and the HST/VAT/MWSt. however you will call it, is already above 20%. It is a very easy way for the government to get more tax money.

And yes, I know, Germany has a strong econemy. Remember, after WW2 there was not much left – but they startet producing again.
I wish, we would do the same here, producing more instead of exporting all our raw materials. It is very hard nowadays, to find something MADE IN CANADA. Seems just Quebec is still good in producing items.

X2 Palopu ^

“Those opposed to the HST did the right thing by getting rid of it. Those in favor are pissed off because we no longer pay their taxes for them. “

Actually, you will. When a company starts to see their profit margins decrease do you know what they do? They raise their prices.

Suzir, look at the government subsides they get in Quebec. It play rediculous what they get compared to the rest of the country. If they only leveled the playing field for all.

Pylot Project, your post about KFC and their boneless chicken is both funny and sad. Horrible to think our society has gone this way.

I thought only children complained about bones in chicken.

P Val
I just wrote is as an example.
I bought some hardwood flooring and I had 2 choice –
Made in QC/Canada
or
Made in China.
So I am sure, you know what I bought, Made in Canada.
In Germany they get also paid very good wages and are still able to produce.
Shopping is a pleasure, for they do not get all that junk Made in China, we are getting here now.

One more thing that surprised me –
I tried to buy a train ticket/Via Rail
to Edmonton.
So I can go from here to Jasper, sit there for 2 days till the train Vancouver-Edmonton arrives.
When i arrive in Jasper, that train has just left about 1 hour ago and Via rail expects me to sit there for 2 days.
Who is making these useless train schedules?

“Those opposed to the HST did the right thing by getting rid of it. Those in favor are pissed off because we no longer pay their taxes for them. “

Axman: “Actually, you will. When a company starts to see their profit margins decrease do you know what they do? They raise their prices.”

No kidding. I’m really not sure why this is so hard for some people to figure out.

“JohnnyBelt is a HST lover. He is not about to give up his view despite overwhelming information that shows he doesn’t know what he is talking about.”

Palopu. Give it up. You obviously can’t see the forest for the trees and now you’re so far deep into your anti-HST ways that you can’t see that BC screwed up by getting rid of it.

Bill Vanderzalm put one over on many people, including yourself. Time to man up and admit it.

JohnnyBelt… it’s not hard to figure out at all. In fact I blame a good 50% of the HST’s failure on business themselves. I saw no trickle-down savings passed on to the customer. Business simply gobbled up the extra 7% profit they were instantly given.

The HST should have worked… but very poor implementation by the Liberals stumbled it, and greed from business took it out at the knees.

I’m really not sure why this is so hard for some people like yourself to figure out.

The ‘Made in China” tag is an indicator of north American corporate greed.

JohnnyBelt on April 5 2013 1:13 PM
“Those opposed to the HST did the right thing by getting rid of it. Those in favor are pissed off because we no longer pay their taxes for them. “

Axman: “Actually, you will. When a company starts to see their profit margins decrease do you know what they do? They raise their prices.”

No kidding. I’m really not sure why this is so hard for some people to figure out.

Ok, so when a company starts to see profit increase, they raise the prices. That means, normal Joe cannot buy that much anymore for his money. So if you all buy less, is that good for the companies?

Ok, now I need an electrician or plumber or heating service.
Good for me, as he adds to his $ 80 per hour now only 5 % instead of 12 %.
I have no problem with that at all and I am sure, these companies will be now busy again.

Axeman. If business raises its prices people will not buy their product, so at best it would be a Mexican standoff.

Raise prices at your peril.

BC Fairies raised prices and ridership is down.

Quinn St. Transfer station raised prices from $2.00 to $6.00 and people quit using the facility.

If the Liberal Government had any brains (which they don’t) they could have fixed the PST to make it a better tax.

Fact of the matter is, they brought in the HST to give a huge tax break to their business and corporate buddies, at the expense of the every day citizens.

That’s why they are on their way out. They can spend more time with their business and corporate friends once they are out of Government.

To all the tailgating Crowd , do you know you are all ways in the Wrong if you hit the Guy in front , even if he hits the Brakes for a Mirage ,Squirl , Rabbit, Cat.
Think about and back off

Pylot, I’ve never denied that the Libs botched the HST badly, and people are not willing to forgive it. So much so, they’re willing to vote the NDP back in with Adrian Dix at the helm, no less. Only in BC.

*The fact of the matter* is in the vast majority of your day to day purchases, you didn’t notice any change because you were paying 12% HST vs. 12% GST/PST.

Dragonmaster on April 5 2013 1:22 PM
The ‘Made in China” tag is an indicator of north American corporate greed.

Absolutely true. And you need a magnify to find out, where the item is made, it is printed so small, like they feel ashamed and almost try to hide it

Watch out for motorcycles… put down your cell phone and watch where you are going.

Posted by: Palopu on April 5 2013 1:36 PM
Axeman. If business raises its prices people will not buy their product, so at best it would be a Mexican standoff.

————-

Nonsense. Take a look at gas; everyone whines about the cost but how many people actually make a concerted effort to reduce their dependency on it? Not many I would guess. If the price of a 2×4 goes up at Home Depot are you going to forget about building your garden shed?

Not just manufactured products come from China… make sure you read the labels of your processed foods too. Even simple items like a tin of tuna or mushrooms…. product of China. That scares the hell out of me more than the cheap plastic crap flogged by Wal-Mart.

Even if the finished product is “made” in Canada, doesn’t mean the ingredients are Canadian. I wish that kind of info was readily available.

JohnnyBelt… my understanding of the HST was that businesses would be paying less tax than previous, and the consumer was paying more.

If that’s the case whether we paid 12% before or after HST implementation isn’t the issue. The sticker price didn’t change. If the business is paying less, the sticker price should have dropped. But as you even said, we didn’t notice any difference. That’s the extra profit business swallowed up whole. No trickle-down deals for us the consumer.

CIBC has the debit credit cards. Visa out of the checking account. Works fantastic and the savings are huge. I don’t think I’ll ever get another credit card again from a credit card company. The cost to use it is a bit more for the transaction cost, but 98% of the time one can just use the debit side of it and then there are no charges.

Pylot Project on April 5 2013 2:48 PM
Not just manufactured products come from China… make sure you read the labels of your processed foods too. Even simple items like a tin of tuna or mushrooms…. product of China.
And read the labels of fresh veggies – snow peas, garlic, spinach etc. the list goes on, I was shocked, all imported from China. Glad
that I can grow most of the veggies for my own use.
But I agree, the labeling should be much better and would give us more infos where the ingredience come from.

Europe is a dying economy… why because they have their own version of HST that sucks the life blood out of any new entrants to the market place and the big old monopoly capitalist own the whole economy. Sales taxes are a regressive tax that take from a business before they ever turn a profit and raise the risk level for a new business well past the point of opportunity for any potential entrepreneur.

A small business can’t pay a 12% tax on their value gap when they are not even to a cash flow positive situation yet. Costs of doing business have to be covered first.

Small business the last 40 years has been the biggest employment growth industry for the middle class… small business start ups is now at its lowest level since records have been taken.

Point is that regressive sales taxes kill small business start ups and thus put people out of work… look no further than Europe for how this works. Of course the 1% don’t want to be taxed on their incomes, thats why they off shore their profits and our governments let them. The thinking goes they can just transfer the tax responsibility to the entrepreneur who would like to start a company to compete with them.

suzir2000 – another pfftt to VIA Rail – if you are in a wheelchair – you can’t get off the train at any of the smaller stops – like McBride – you can only get off at PG/Jasper/Edmonton.

There are train stops all over the US that have a cement landing, the train pulls up, a little metal hinged gizmo flap comes down from the train to cover the gap between the cement & the train – and the person can wheel off. Simple.

I hear ya on the wait in Jasper – I had the same thing a couple of years back going to Edmonton. It’s also the same going west to Prince Rupert – trying to connect to the US Ferry system.

pylot: “But as you even said, we didn’t notice any difference. That’s the extra profit business swallowed up whole. No trickle-down deals for us the consumer.”

Well, the world doesn’t revolve around you (or me), and the world owes us nothing. Taxes pay for a lot of things that most of us take for granted. And before you say ‘government wastes money on x’, yes, I know that too.

As far as business goes, I can’t make the blanket statement that ‘all prices didn’t go down’ and neither can you.

Eagle: “Europe is a dying economy… why because they have their own version of HST that sucks the life blood out of any new entrants to the market place and the big old monopoly capitalist own the whole economy.”

C’mon now. So is the US, but they don’t have an HST.

Nevermind cell phones, motorcycles, you should watch out for cigarette smokers! I laid on the horn today when a guy was lighting a cigarette blew through the yield in front of Kia while I was coming around the bend from the Northland side.

If I wouldn’t have held down my horn he wouldn’t have even noticed me at all. I haven’t seen something that wide eyed in a LONG time. That guy should check his shorts instead of worrying about getting nicotine fix!

JohnnyBelt: “*The fact of the matter* is in the vast majority of your day to day purchases, you didn’t notice any change because you were paying 12% HST vs. 12% GST/PST. “

How is that comment of yours not a “blanket statement”? You have no clue what my purchasing practices are or were 5 years ago.

And yes I did notice because SERVICES all went up by 7%, and I saw no significant decrease in rates if any. HST on food items didn’t affect me because I rarely buy pre-fab food anyway.

JB is right. No federal sales taxes added on at point of sale in the USA. In Washington State there is a State sales tax of around 8% on some goods. There are local (county and city) sales taxes on top of that in the 1% range.

There are no income taxes in Washington State.

Municipal property taxes are similar to cities in BC.

I would say the cost of buying goods is cheaper in some cases and more expensive in other cases.

Then there is the cost of gasoline …. LOL

To me the economic problems in the USA are, in a large part, too much money spent on world security without others kicking in and not enough taxes collected to pay for it. Although most of the literature on tax comparison between the USA and Canada suggest that citizens in the USA pay more in taxes than those in Canada pay. Maybe it is tax paid by corporations which the consumer does not see.

Guess no cares about the carbon tax rip off, sad.

pylot: “And yes I did notice because SERVICES all went up by 7%, and I saw no significant decrease in rates if any. HST on food items didn’t affect me because I rarely buy pre-fab food anyway.”

No tax system is perfect, but the HST was far better than the archaic and inefficient PST/GST. Just because the HST was voted out once doesn’t mean it will never be back.

seamutt: “Guess no cares about the carbon tax rip off, sad.”

It is a rip off. We should’ve kept the HST and dumped the carbon tax.

Just wanted to take a couple of minutes and give a ‘big number one’ to the well tanned man in a grey 1 ton dodge crew cab that must be so important that he felt it was his right to park in the handicapped zone in front of the 5th Ave Post Office this afternoon around 4:45 p.m. I guess that maybe walking 100 feet or some was too strenuous, maybe his tan would be affected by the cold air or something. Isincerely hope that he never has a family member who really is disabled and finds all the dedicated parking spots being used by the lazy and self entitled.

Have a great weekend everyone else!

Axeman. The price of gas is controlled by International Monopolies, so hardly a fair comparison.

You can buy 2×4’s at home depot that come from China. Probably made out of logs that we send over there. So if the local yokals raise their prices, buy Chinese.

The world is full of these type of people who da thunk.