Gordo's Address

[Wyatt Earp]

Well,

I have just finished watching the recorded announcement from last night and I'll admit that he got it awefully close to what I consider correct - keep your hands out of our pockets! Granted I think he's got some things wrong but it's getting there.

I do like the 0% tax for small business on the first $500K though... Granted that starts in 2012.

Income tax cuts are a great way to giving me (a member of the mid class) a chance at getting ahead. The only issue that is a problem is his vision of MSP and healthcare. How can we afford to spend $0.42 let alone the projected $0.49 per tax dollar on healthcare when it just seems to be spinning out of control! As the population gets older this number can not continue to go up, even though it would seem this is the case. How do we fund everything else that everyone else wants? Something is missing here.

Carol's response was no surprise to me. Granted I don't like her but I would have thought that she would come up with some creative rebutals. Something tells me, Gordo may be on the way out but I don't see Carol stepping up.

What I fail to see in either case is a real action plan, with real numbers as percentages don't really cut it to be honest. I do think that these recent announcements will create more self employed people and more business owners as this group gets to take better advantage of the tax breaks vs. those of an employee.

Just my opinion but what do others think? Keep it clean and constructive - regardless of what party you support.

Cheers,

[BigMac]

The bottom line is, people are pissed because he lied to us about the HST. Unlike you, I am not self employed & any additional taxes are extremely unwelcome, especially in these times! Great, it helps small business, but if I can't afford to buy their product, what good is it? We are being totally taxed to death man!! All last nights speech was is an attempt to save his lying a**. Gordo now has the lowest rating of any premier of this province-surprising it took this long!! Only in B.C. can a convicted drunk driver continue to run the province! Reminds me of our own City Council. Good old boys. When do people say-enough?
Not that we have anyone who is capable of turning this huge mess around, I agree with you there. Don't know the answer but really don't like what I am seeing. Feel sorry for my kids in the future, think it's bad now, wait for later.

[Wyatt Earp]

Sure, I think his team is idiotic with how they handled that roll out. The tax itself I see as a good thing, but that's my opinion and the opinion of most small businesses I know. I think it is stupid that he can have a DUI and still do what he does, esp. the new "laws" which have yet to actually be challenged against the civil liberties and chart or rights nad freedoms. Nonetheless, you are right when do people say enough is enough? I mean that in reference to the spending on poorly managed programs (aka health care in this province, education and transportation). Somewhere, there is has got to be a way of keeping the unelected b'cats accountable for most of this crap.

I feel sorry for my kids and anyone else that hasn't reached 40 yet. This province and country are headed for some real problems with CPP, universal health care and most of the rest of stuff we take for granted in this country. We've got some really hard discussions to have in the near future... So, you think its bad now, wait...

[seaman]

I'm confused how this hst will help small businesses? the pst was an end user tax and the only provincial tax I'd ever have to pay, the federal corporate tax is the one that hurts (big check to the feds every year)
I'm a little ignorant on the subject, I'll admit that. But it does make sense knowing whos behind it, I believe I am getting screwed, I don't trust our premier and I never have.
I was cursing ole gordo hard two nights ago when I tried to catch the 9pm ferry home and was told the sailing was no longer scheduled, the guy told me I could drive to tswassen or sleep in my truck and wait for the 8:30 the next morning.
When the campbell government sold the ferries which were a provincial company and an extension of the trans canada highway, they took the cash and sold out us BC residents who are going to live here for life. now we pay more have worst service and the government got paid one year and now the money is gone. Was that a good idea?
Now these guys are acting like baby sitters implementing the toughest drinking and driving rules, new speeding laws, no talking on your cel phones and driving. Don't you feel like you are losing your liberties, not that I am condoning drinking and driving but it is ironic considering the talking pumpkin got caught in his first term.
For me the biggest problem is that they ran the last election without a word of this hst and when all the people who voted liberal and elected him (not me) . your thanks is a new hst and new rules.
I guess I'll learn more about this hst and I may even understand how it helps small businesses one day? but for now I sure don't all I hear is how all the restaurants are slow, cost of construction has gone up 7% and when you buy a new home it will cost you 7% more tax + more and this is on top of the extremely high taxes we were already paying.
And then in return we get more rules and worst services. bi weekly garabage pickup(municipal) but still, I just see us losing more services and losing more money all the time.

You've got to make 2 dollars to spend one, that's just the way it is now a days, there are less good jobs more taxes. Like BigMac and Wyatt said good luck to the next generation, heck good luck for us too. we're getting screwed that's how I see it.

[Wyatt Earp]

The PST was not an end user tax. What happened with the PST was if the business purchased an item for resale you could apply for a tax exemption but for the most part this tax was just paid on everything and was then not charged (in some cases) to the end user. The HST is applied to everything (except for exempt items) making it a VAT or value added tax. Then the business can claim specific credits, much like they could under the GST. It is just simpler. So, when you hear that the PST was a hidden tax, that is what that is referring to and for a small business to be able to capture that and invest those monies (or whatever the owners want to do) it makes the employees and even customers benefit from it.
I think there should be far more cometition on the waters, not just BCFS so I do not agree with the "extension of the transcanada" statement. In fact, just like any boat it is a hole in the water you throw money at to be frank and because of regulations as soon as you get a single customer / passenger on board you need X number of staff is just simply a waste of money (in the name of safety etc.) it just becomes not cost effective, even with a subsidization.

I don't know I just think there are far too many taxes - esp. the big ones like the land title transfer tax.

[seaman]

Well that end user tax comment was how my accountant descrbed it to me, if I sold something to an end user I'd charge the tax if I sold something to a shop they would charge the pst, so I didn't have to. So I'm not going to argue with you about whether the bc ferries are an extension of the trans canada, the point is we're constantly seeing increases in fares and the service continues to go down. There are alot of people who catch that 6:30am sailing, that service is not available either. so we're losing sailings that have been available for decades, because some US company is trying to make more money off of us. We are more vulnerable now, before the government controlled the service. And I think that was a sell out move.

[Wyatt Earp]

I'm not arguing either, thats not point. I have always taken the 630 ferry as well and just checked to see if you were correct in your statement about it not being there and unless you know something that isn't posted on the web then it is still there. I think that most people look at the ferry as a convenience and yet if you look at it like an airport with security and so on, ypu would expect to pay less if you booked ahead of time and more if you role up to the booth and yet that still hasn't changed. It likely will though.

On the matter of the PST look at say a Home builder who would have to pay PST on everything and not be able to charge that at all hence a burried tax and no value added. If the business can find efficiencies they spend more in the community, create more opportunity, have better wages and so on. Granted it is tough for some to see but I think it is the right thing to do. I still don't really like gordo though.

[All Ages Music Concerts]

Seaman you make some very good comments that stand their ground. It is time we become more of the self business person and pocket our own $ without the governement interverance. Yes we have to be careful but we can out smart it to a degree. There are so many new $ taken on every turn with new laws and implimations that it seems we are heading for a communist country. The government is taking and in turn gives very little back at this point in time. They are lining their pockets with gold and we end up with nickels that they still want stossed back to them. They are making maxa $ on the gambling in this country and hold no morals about it.

Gambling funds were a way out for the government to stop the grants they once issued. Now these funds have been filtered away. Now they have made it even tougher for the non profit organizations to draw from these funds. The government bowed out to being involved in support of the necessary societies requiring funding; making us the people more responsible for donating to them. So stop the gambling in Canada because those dollars are lining the gold rim for those in control of the funds. I don't for one minute believe this mega revenue producing adventure for the government is being filtered back to the people in the way it should be.

[Wyatt Earp]

Reminds me of a song by Stevie Ray Vaughn, the TAXMAN... It is so true it is disgusting. I too agree with what is being said, more money, less service but at the same time, I think for years the funding has been mismanaged and under funded (think strata-council wanting to put on a new roof or something and saying everyone needs to come up with $20K). The cost of government and the services they provide is simply getting out of control and I am certain that private industry could do a better job, more competition, better service etc. I think the government's postion should be to protect the public, like an ombidsman that keeps things in check but by running these corporations, the monopoly services are just not giving us what we need.

I don't know, seems to me that until "we" stand up and take notice all this crap will just continue.

[seaman]

yes that is the good thing about a forum like this we have a voice. going back a couple posts, looks like I'm wrong about the 6:30 am we lose the 7:00 pm sailing I was talking to the lady at the gate and I asked her what sailing we lose from Nanaimo the 6:30 and she said yes but looking at the website it is the 7pm. these days everytime I want to catch a ferry I've got to check the damn schedule,