HST Tax

Today I'd like to pose a question - how do the rest of you Ontarians feel about the new HST tax?

I for one think it's complete bullshit! After reading an article in the Toronto Star today, what in the hell is the Liberal party thinking?! Is it not bad enough that we're already in the middle of a recession, and now the government wants to harmonize our sales taxes, giving the big corporations a tax break while consumers are going to be forced further into debt! I think it's absolutely ridiculous that we're going to have to pay 13% tax on a hamburger or child diapers! Exactly how is this helping us get out of a recession? So maybe the large, bureaucratic corporations can shave a few dollars off their expenses, but if people can't afford to spend anything, that isn't exactly helping them out either.

I've been a strong supporter of the Liberal party in the past, but it's because of situations like this that made me vote NDP the past two elections. And what about this family tax credit - families that earn less than $160,000/yr are getting $1000 back annually, but single people and/or single parents are entitled to less... does that make sense to anyone here?? It's bad enough that one in 10 Canadians are currently living in poverty, and surely this is only going to increase the numbers. People are losing their jobs and homes left, right and centre at the moment, and with employment insurance in Toronto only covering 22% of unemployed people, what does McGuinty expect them to do? Ontario is soon going to be known as the welfare province of our nation.

What about the aboriginals? I have friends that are native and are exempt from paying PST, but with the harmonization of GST and PST are they going to be exempt from tax altogether or are they now joining the rest of society and paying full taxes? It seems slightly unfair to take this away from them and ignore past events (i.e. the treatment of aboriginals).

I realize that other provinces like Quebec only pay one tax, but it's not 13%. If the government wants to harmonize sales tax so be it, but then they should lower it to at least 10% if not less. I have a feeling come the next election we'll see a real jump in the polls toward the NDP or Conservative party. It seems our socialist liberal party have turned their priorities to the corporations, ignoring the cries for help from the consumers who are suffering the most today. Maybe instead of increasing taxes the high paid politicians sitting in their offices in Ottawa should take a pay cut because obviously their failing the people.

R.W.B