Monday, March 8, 2010

HST Shell Game Continues! UPDATED March/10


UPdated here/ march 10.....Jack mintz sits on so many boards of giant corporations...His report can be nothing but a conflict of interest,for goodness sakes, he`s advocating giving massive tax breaks to companies who pay him,like Imperial oil(Read about his renumeration here)http://andrewmcintyre.ca/2010/02/25/albertas-royalties-conventional-wisdom-and-conflicts-of-interest/

And more conflict of interest here
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Alberta+royalty+regime+ranks+last+says+report/2610132/story.html




Well well well, here we go again, the BC Liberals paid for a 14 page report on the HST, on how it will increase investment,on how it will create jobs, they recruited no other than Jack Mintz to do the report. Jack Mintz`s latest 14 page report on the HST claims more investments,more jobs....But...Perhaps Gordon Campbell didn`t do his own research on Jack Mintz.....Folks, you can`t make this stuff up, but in 2008 Jack Mintz(from the university of Calgary) did a report about HST implementation in Ontario and came to the conclusion that the HST would be bad for consumers and cost Ontario 38,000 jobs!



That`s the God`s honest truth friends, now Jack Mintz has done a new study for Gordon Campbell(for money I might add) and the BC Liberals, so Jack Mintz has a done a COMPLETE 180 degree turn, that`s pretty funny stuff, according to Jack Mintz`s latest 14 page report there will be 113,000 jobs created over the next decade....Let`s see, that works out to 11,300 jobs per year, with population growth alone that number rings hollow.....Similar to the USA...They are still losing jobs and with their population they need to create 150,000 jobs per month just to remain even......But Jack Mintz has more to say, Jack Mintz also states that over the next decade that there will be over $11 billion dollars of new investment in BC!




Let`s examine that number a little closer .....$11 billion dollars over 10 years works out $1.1 billion dollars of investment per year.....Sounds like a lot of money,is it? Wouldn`t we have that much new investment in a normal economic environment? $1.1 billion dollars per year in new investment in BC with the implementation of the HST....Well let`s look a little closer...The implementation of the HST will cost the taxpayers of BC $1.9 billion dollars per year!




So if my math is correct the big corporations are planning on keeping $800 million dollars of this tax shift every year, that means that the big corporations are planning on keeping roughly 45% of all this extra revenue, but let`s keep digging a bit more shall we.




According to Jack Mintz who in 2008 opposed the HST and claimed it would cost consumers money and jobs, $1.1 billion per year in new investment in BC because of the HST...But, $1.9 billion dollars are being taken away in consumer spending,in other words, over 10 years with the implementation of the HST BCers will have $19 billion dollars taken from them!




Well friends, this might be fuzzy math but if that $19 billion dollars wasn`t being taken from the consumers and they were allowed to spend that amount on goods and services ....I contend that there would be over 200,000 jobs created over the next 10 years without the implementation of the HST.....The tourism and restaurant industry agree completely with my assessment, in fact those 2 industries say that bringing in the HST will cost 10,000 jobs in each of those industries, they seem to adhere to what Jack Mintz said in 2008....Before he was hired by Gordon Campbell to change his mind, and Jack Mintz had more to say about the HST, Jack said the implementation of the HST will lower wages, imagine that,lower wages, could BCs already lowest minimum wage in Canada go lower? (read what Jack Mintz said here)http://ontariondp.com/node/2542

Well folks, cknw on the John Macolm show, John had on as his guest in his first segment no other than Jack Mintz, very interesting, I have learned several things,first off,the report from Jack Mintza cost BCers 12,000.00...12 thousand dollars, and I also learned that Jack Mintz appears to be as dishonest as Gordon Campbell and Colin Hansen....Of course John Macolm asked no tough questions, he asked none of the questions I sent him, Jack Mintz cited the Atlantic Canada experience with the hst, Jack Mintz stated that consumer prices went down in Atlantic Canada after they harmonized their PST and GST...And that was true, consumer prices fell by 1%, although housing prices rose and did services, but what Jack Mintz failed to mention in his 14 page report,what John Macolm failed to mention is that.....

Atlantic Canada as an enticement to the public, when they merged the two taxes....Taxes were lowered by over 4 points...That`s right friends, the combined tax rate in Atlantic Canada gst/pst was 19%.......When they brought in the HST they immediately lowered the combined rate to 15%.....over a 4 point drop in the tax load, that is not what is happening here in BC or Ontario, so that my friends is totally dishonest of Jack Mintz trying compare apples to oranges.....I am sure that if the combined tax rate in BC was dropped from 12% to 8% we would be quite happy,but that isn`t happening, Jack Mintz is a fraud, for a professor to make a carte blanche comparison between Atlantic Canada`s HST to BC`s HST is fundamentally flawed, he also only speculated as to job growth, he has zero examples to make the claims that he did....Personally,if I was a teacher and Jack Mintz presented his flawed report to me without disclosing the difference I would grade Jack Mintz with a FAIL!...(read about how Atlantic Canada lowered its tax rate by over 4% here) http://www.vancouver-real-estate-direct.com/HST/BCvsMaritimes.html

Well,friends, I have been digging around for Jack Mintz`s 2008 HST stance...I have some quotes from his 2008 report at the CD Howe institute..

Here is what Jack Mintz had to say in 2008...About implementing the HST "by the 10th year of the simulation, real wages are down,but very slightly because of heavy tax burden on consumer goods and services".....And here is what Jack Mintz had to say about jobs in Ontario if the HST was implemented....."In the first year of the HST,short terms losses of 9,000 jobs, 16,000 job losses in the second year,in the fifth year job losses will stabilize" SNIP(read the 28 page pdf here...read excerpts on page 8 and page 9)http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/Commentary_273.pdf

Friends, it is quite apparant,Jack Mintz states that consumer prices will rise, wages won`t, what little wage increases there might be will be more than offset by higher priced consumer goods and services,Jack Mintz also states that there will be job losses for 4 years and stabilizing in year 5....Jack Mintz also believes that over 10 years the impact on jobs is negligible,his own words folks.....You can`t make this stuff up...Jack Mintz does believe it is good for business, but we all know that already, but his own words, this will be no boon to the public/wages/jobs....Despite what Jack Mintz reported for Gordon Campbell, it is all speculation,a simulation,but the 5 year pain and consumer goods and services costing more are consistent. There is nothing in this for us folks!

Jack Mintz is nothing but another paid "snake oil salesman"

Friends,this story is a work in progress, google up....(Jack Mintz reports hst will cost 38,000 jobs in 2008, or Jack mintz states hst will cost jobs).....I haven`t found Jack Mintz`s 14 page report that Gordon Campbell paid for but...I will get it.

The HST fraud continues, there was the budget lie about hst going to health care,there was the pre-election lie by Gordon Campbell ...Campbell said the BC Liberals were not bringing in the HST....Now our tax dollars are being paid to Jack Mintz to change his mind about the HST and write a 14 page report.

Gordon Campbell and Colin Hansen have turned Government into a joke, the laughing stock of Canada, three card monty,the shell game, more like the plundering of British Columbians! (more to come)

The Straight Goods

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open

29 comments:

Evil Eye said...

A Bre-X salesman would be more honest than this bunch of confidence tricksters.

Anonymous said...

It is also not a given that once taxes are reduced to corporations that it will create more jobs. It just isn't so. They just keep more profits and pay themselves more.

Do not debate the HST. The people of BC have already said that they do not want it! WE do not want to shift more tax burden onto the working class! Enough is enough! Shills for Gordo will never ever stop ranting about reducing taxes to corps and big business. It will never be enough to appease them. Fuck You Liberals!

Evil Eye said...

BC Stadium Roof
RAV/Canada Line cost doubles
Convention Centre costs double
Gateway Highway and Bridge Program
Olympic cost overruns
Sea to Sky Highway upgrade
ICBC theft
Lottery theft from schools and charities

Son of a bitch got to increase taxes and user fees to pay for it all!

Grant G said...

Thanks Evil...These sleazebags are lower than a snail`s belly.

I pray and hope every night before bed that a frozen chunk of blue ice falls on Gordon Campbell`s head and melts and leaves him swimming in shit!

jaydee said...

Great stuff Grant G., the hardest for me is if I even mention a word about what is really going on, without exception, people get hostile, defensive of themselves and their 'knowledge' and literally start shouting I read the Sun, I read the Province, I read the local papers, I watch the news on TV and I listen to Bill Good and Carole James gets on there all the time, I just heard her on there again the other day....these are old top of the class students saying this. Two of the people I refer to here said they didn't like the man (Campbell) and they both said they didn't vote for him. Neither of them lives in Point Grey and both voted for a Liberal candidate, John Les and Stephanie Cardeau, one belongs in jail and the other only got in because of Campbell's brilliant move, Crescent Beach into Panorama Ridge, amongst many others. I swear these are not dumb people, nobody asks me what I read, they just believe they know what is going on but....most do say they just wanna have fun, life's too short and 'Ive paid my dues'. Another one told me the other day she thinks everything should be private because she doesn't want her taxes to go up,(she works in a credit union but I guess she doesn't know what levies, fees, rates up, etc. mean). And then....it was too late.
Jean

Anonymous said...

Fighthst.com

jaydee said...

Anon 4:08...
I am!

kootcoot said...

The economics department of the University of Calgary is the junior/community college outpost of the discredited Chicago School of Economics that can take credit for the crimes of Pinochet, the recent near economic calamity and the even worse economic calamity waiting just around the corner.

Government spending around the world has temporarily staved off economic collapse. However, everyone including Obama have just been throwing money at the same criminal elements that created the problem and they are obviously not changing their behaviour - why should they - Coporate Socialism works fine for them.

However the United States is broke, many individual states are broke, Canada is going broke, China is holding container loads of worthless paper and once the Europeans start dealing with Greece, Iceland, Portugal and Spain it will become apparent that they are broke too.

Did I mention Japan has been on the economic ropes for over a decade.

The conservatives will sweep to power soon in the UK and then anything (if there is anything) left in the financial cupboard there will be distributed amongst their friends and the UK will be broke, if it isn't all ready.

Us normal people would be well advised to start collecting recipes that make eating the rich palatable, cuz there won't be much else out there for dinner.

It is obvious how mis-leading the Liberal's pre-election budget was, people don't seem to realize that the current revised multi-billion deficit budget is nearly as pollyannish. Assuming the growth projections (a bet I wouldn't take) are valid, then expect interest rates to climb, much faster than anyone is willing to speculate. After all, interest rates cannot go down, then they would pay us to borrow.

Hugh said...

This reminds me of the TILMA agreement, signed by the Liberals a few years ago, between BC and Alberta. Colin Hansen said it was supposed to bring up to $4.8 billion in GDP and 78,000 jobs for BC.

I wonder how it's working out.

Hugh said...

"the United States is broke, many individual states are broke,"

What's interesting is that North Dakota is one state that is not broke. It is the only U.S. state with a publicly-owned state bank, run for the benefit of the public.

Anonymous said...

Grant, if the 12% Horse Shit Tax is already federal legislation and is the law of the land, how should the NDP vote when the LIEberals bring in legislation to repeal the provincial 7% Social Services Tax?

I mean, if the NDP opposes the provincial legislation, BC would then be facing a 19% tax (12% HST + 7% PST).

How does the NDP get around that LIEberal trick?

Grant G said...

The NDP vote against the HST....Yes,the BC Liberals will say the NDP are voting for a 19% tax rate.

The public won`t buy that argument,but...

Here`s the deal,Bill Vanderzalm initiative won`t stop the HST..But it is important we sign it to show our displeasure.

Secondly...This answer is in recall...

This fall,through recall,the ndp get enough seats(8 seats) to take power,then we reverse the HST, we let the public know that we will have to pay back Ottawa to get out of the HST...

And here is the good part..Michael Ignatief stated when his party voted to ram the HST down our throats.

IGGY said and I quote..."We as a party would never interfere in what type of tax regime ANY Province wants,we would not interfere or stand in the way" SNIP

That is where it stands.

One more thing,Ottawa is on tilt financially,it will probably be next year but Ottawa is going to raise the GST back up to at least 6%...probably 7%...That is the fiscal reality,so,our HST will be not 12% but 14%..

Further stifling our economy.

Those are the options,by the way,in the senate in Ottawa there are 32 bill languishing there,EI reform,crime bills etc etc etc..

The HST bill, was presented in the morning,not debated,one hour later it went off for Royal Assent,no debate,no arguing,nothing but full speed ahead and screw the masses,screw us.

This Province is hooped either way, at the least it will be two years of hst,but what the hell,our BC Debt is $120 billion dollars,what`s another $1.6 billion to get out of the HST.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Grant said - "This fall,through recall,the ndp get enough seats(8 seats) to take power,then we reverse the HST"

But Carole James has already stated that once the HST is implemented on July 1, the NDP won't be able to reverse the Horse Shit Tax.

It's a lose-lose-lose proposition for British Columbia. And that really sucks big time.

Grant G said...

11:00 AM...No,you are mistaken,what Carole James said..And I quote..

"It will be difficult to remove the HST because we will have to return $1.6 billion dollars to Ottawa"

That is what she said,and she said one more thing when this claim by the Liberals was made.

Carole James was asked again by Bill Good..Will you get rid of the HST if you are elected...Carole James answered...

"Bill,we are going to fight the HST and do our best to stop it, we are not going to concede that the HST is a done deal,we must stop it before it comes in"

That is what Carole James said after the hst surprise was announced by the habitual Liar Gordon Campbell.

Again my friends,nothing but spin by the PAB..Public affairs bureau.

Believe me friends, the NDP if they get in will attack the HST,they will attack the HST because the HST is hurting government revenues,if the NDP want tax dollars to spend they must assault the HST.

11:00AM..Glad you are watching the BC Liars on question period.

One more thing, when Bill Good asked Carole James about the HST...at that time,even today,there is still no legislation that the NDP have seen,hard to say anything about something when you have ZERO details.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

"Us normal people would be well advised to start collecting recipes that make eating the rich palatable, cuz there won't be much else out there for dinner".
I am stocking up on Meat Tenderizer....

Cheers
Gary L.

Anonymous said...

Ya won't need it Gary, they're liars and bullies - and bullies are only tough when they're together. Separate 'em from one another and they become nice 'n tender, squishy almost. Good eating, indeed.

Crankypants said...

If this report was listed on a bestsellers list it would appear in the fictional section. Mintz's claims are so preposterous that they would be funny if the financial consequences to the citizens of BC weren't so severe, but it's not because they are not. This HST will do nothing more than increase the need for more foodbanks and the welfare roles should get quite a boost as well.

Maybe the time has come for all politicians to be attached to lie detectors whenever they utter a word. Only then will we regain a semblance of confidence that they are doing what they believe to be in the best interest of the electorate.

Cam

Leah said...

"It will be difficult to remove the HST because we will have to return $1.6 billion dollars to Ottawa."

"Bill,we are going to fight the HST and do our best to stop it, we are not going to concede that the HST is a done deal,we must stop it before it comes in."

But in neither sentence does she outright state that she is going to reverse the HST. She's hedging, talking just like a politician.

Anonymous said...

http://www.terracedaily.ca/show5587a/INTERNET_PROVIDERS_MANIPULATED_BY_FIGHT_HST_OPPONENTS

I'm not surprised about what I'm reading. Keep up the good work, Bill and those who are trying to defeat this TAX GRAB. We must all participate to stop this Sham for the corporate elite and the LIEberals!

Grant G said...

8:36 AM..Indeed, Liberal death fangs are encroaching into the internet, spooks,gremlins,complicit providers, even GPS devices to keep movements monitored. That old television series,a classic "The prisoner"

Leah, lets just say that Carole James is a little gun shy,she went to bat for us on the..

"do-nothing carbon tax"

And she was rewarded with a full frontal assault from the greens/business/liberals..and voters...
The tide has turned...Go visit (BC iconclast)

For a Liberal,he hit his last story out of the park.

Cheers

kootcoot said...

I think some folks are confused about the PST, GST and HST above. In BC currently the PST is 7% and nationwide the GST is 5% meaning when they are combined it becomes 12%. The reason why it adds costs to the average citizen is because it makes everything taxable under the GST vunerable to the NEW HST, including many items currently not taxed by the PST.

It is completely imaginary that we would wind up with a 12% HST + a 7% PST as the there is no such thing as an HST until it incorporates the PST. Now I have no argument with the idea that the LIEberals would encourage this confusion to score against the James Gang, and judging from past results, there is no limit to the lies you can run by the BC electorate.

It is illuminating that in Atlantic Canada with a 4% reduction in PST to make the HST palatble, the consumers still saw AT BEST a 1% reduction in cost of living. So lets do the math. If a four percent tax reduction leads to a 1% reduction in COA - then a zero percent reduction (if not an actual increase because of newly taxable items)would lead to at least an immediate increase of 3% COA.

As far as the job gains or losses that's pretty easy to predict as well, as Mr. Mintzing words makes clear. If he studies the figures when he is hired by the opposition to the government instituting the tax then it will lead to thousands of job losses and cost increases. If on the other hand he is hired by the government (or criminal organization) instituting the tax it will lead to hundreds of thousands of jobs and savings and rainbows for all.

I guess the job gains or losses aren't that easy to predict after all, it is just easy to predict what Mr. Mintz will say, by looking at who is paying him to say it.

The only thing that is clear is that the School of Economics at the University of Calgary will provide you with whatever facts and figures you are willing to pay for - just like Gordo will provide whatever government his corporate masters buy!

Actual facts and truth aren't actually for sale, they just kind of sit there, unobserved by both the bought and paid for media and thus also the, kept in the dark and fed mushroom food, public.

kootcoot said...

""It will be difficult to remove the HST because we will have to return $1.6 billion dollars to Ottawa"

Not if the LIEberals haven't taken the bribe yet. If we could through recall, change the government before the next election then we might not have to pay back the whole 1.6 billion to the feds, if the Campbell Crime family is going to defer part of the payment until 2013. We still have to pay the interest on the money borrowed to replace Stevie's bribe, but hey as long as Gord and his cohorts aren't incarcerated we'll be getting fleeced - all we can do is minimize the damage.

Anonymous said...

I don't think anyone above is confused Kootcoot.
Anonymous...March 8, 2010 5:21 PM, conveyed his thoughts particularly well.

Grant G said...

Oh indeed 2:10 PM..Contributor march 8th/5:21 PM was short and concise and spoke from the heart....

Quite elequently I might add!

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Vancouver Sun: "Conservative MP Jaffer gets sentence 'break' in drunk driving/cocaine possession trial

Former Edmonton MP Rahim Jaffer, who had been facing drunk driving and cocaine possession charges, this week got off with a $500 fine in an Orangeville..."
40 min later: page not found
We’re sorry, the page you requested is not available."
In public interest, of course. JF

Anonymous said...

Vancouver Sun: "Conservative MP Jaffer gets sentence 'break' in drunk driving/cocaine possession trial
Former Edmonton MP Rahim Jaffer, who had been facing drunk driving and cocaine possession charges, this week got off with a $500 fine in an Orangeville..."

40 min later: "page not found
We’re sorry, the page you requested is not available."
In public interest, of course. JF

kootcoot said...

"I don't think anyone above is confused Kootcoot."
Anonymous - March 10, 2010 2:10 PM

Anon anyone who buys the following is CONFUSED!

"I mean, if the NDP opposes the provincial legislation, BC would then be facing a 19% tax (12% HST + 7% PST)"
anon - March 9, 2010 10:28 AM

BC LIEberal lying and fearmongering as usual!

For those who can do math...

Happy pi Day 3.1416.............

Anonymous said...

Is there any hope Campbell will do time for, the BC Rail scam? All of his tax hikes and new dreamed up taxes, will also have the 7% HST, applied on the top,as well? As a senior living on my own, on a fixed pension, I know I will be unable to keep my house. Just think of all the low income families. What about, single moms making $8.00. Social Assistance citizens, who have lost their $75 a month housing allowance? There has been a sharp rise in seniors becoming homeless now. The HST, I am sure, will cause a lot of people to become destitute. Another taxing gouge is, seniors have no tax write offs. So, even they live in poverty, the tax man still takes a chunk of our pensions. I don't even know if, an increase in pension would be any good, I'm sure it would just be clawed back for income tax. What kind of logistic sense, are Campbell and Hansen using? Why, are they putting the burden, on the very people who, have nothing left? I have asked this many times, no-one can come up with an answer.

Anonymous said...

If you are familar with a big time lawyer by the name of David Douglas Robertson, you might be intrested in reading his antics in the Say No To HST in BC forums on Facebook.

Here is a direct link.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Say-No-To-HST-in-BC/143107615239