Comments on: The HST Is Not Evil

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:23:25 +0000

HST will be a disastor for BC as this province has already weak economy,
Restaurants will charge more 7% likewise Real Estate purchase will be
Taxed 12%…….Common person will suffer
With low paid jobs it is impossible to pay an apartment rent for most people
In Vancouver ,I wonder what more disastor will come with HST
Dont forget to check what HST has done to the ecomomies of NS NB NFL
and of Course the Royal Quebec

By: Sandy

Sandy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:39:26 +0000

I hope everyone realizes that teachers declined an entitled pay raise. They deserve a lot of praise and recognition, for doing so. They thought of their students, first, and their colleagues as well. They, did that sacrifice.

Now, government officials, you are to blame for all of the corruption. Let me tell you, when the little guy can no longer pay for all the corrupt officials, this country will collapse. Government, is far too top heavy, they need to reduce their numbers, by 40%, they need to take a 35% cut in salary’s. They can enforce big corporations to pay a 30% tax off the top, you, know, the same way the government forced the HST on destitute civilians. Gordon Campbell should get a 53% cut in salary, after all, he isn’t worth two cents. Campbell, should have to pay back BC residents for everything, he has stolen from them. Now, that is what, democracy, freedom and fairness is all about.

By: Alan Rivett

Alan Rivett — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:12:08 +0000

I do not like the HST and if the Harper Government force this on us me and everybody in our family will never vote or suport the conservative party ever again.Here in B.C. the Campell governmet has given us a carbon tax and now there is talk of another tax and i here it is Stephen Harper.We have suported the Reform party and then the Canadian Alliance that is 20 years of being a member and then you slap us in the face the cost of everything will go up in price food drugs medications gas hence fourth the cost of food going up the truckers pass the cost on to the people that need this. Come on Stephen do not be like Gordon Campell, we do not need another tax , it is like your government wants us to leave the country we are a big waste of time for you and the government then step down the hst is a stupid thing to do and it is something the liberals would do.If you run hst through i will tell all my friends not to vote for you again.

By: robin doyle

robin doyle — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:24:36 +0000

I don’t agree with the hst at all

By: Gerry

Gerry — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:19:38 +0000

Ah, hello Mr. Rightwing Propaganda,

GST stands for goods and SERVICES tax. Lots of things we like to call services will go up 5%. As usual, the people get screwed while the rich (business owners) get the breaks.

By: William

William — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Well, bear in mind that a homeowner with CMHC coverage pays roughly 2% more than a borrower who doesn’t require it. Since most people are relatively honest and pay their bills, the CMHC benefits greatly from the premium, the banks benefit by being able to mortgage someone who isn’t generally mortgagable, and you and I benefit by the fact that home construction employs people, which means we don’t pay them social benefits through tax remittance because they are unemployed.

As well, we have less people renting as a result of homeownership, which reduces over all poverty, and crime. Not to suggest all renters are poor or criminals, but typically high density housing errodes over time, while home ownership also tends to instill a greater sense of pride, which leads to better lifestyles, expectations, homelife, etc…

In the end, the CMHC has proven way more beneficial that bad, and it is in no small part thanks to them that Canadians and Canadian banks suffered much less than the Yanks.

In fact, it could be argued that if HST on things like inspections, purchase price, land transfers, etc… are now unaffordable for the average homebuyer, then maybe the homebuyer shouldn’t be buying, as those are the least expensive components of home ownership.

It’s foolish to think that the tax you pay would earn more interest than the value of your home. Statistically it is proven over and over again that in Canada the best savings account with the most stable rate of return short of a bond is real estate.

I have lived 45 years in one of the most volitile markets (Calgary) in the country and for 25 of those years I’ve enjoyed a return of approximately 10% per annum on my home… That’s not a bad day at the park by anyone’s standard.

I have to admit though, you guys pay a heck of a lot of tax in BC.

By: Sonja Dupor

Sonja Dupor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:38:16 +0000

I’ve read about that CMHC nonsense. Apparently the banks will give mortgages to any risky borrower because they won’t lose any money since the CMHC will cover the costs. This practice should be abolished as it only costs taxpayers money.

By: Ken

Ken — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:55:46 +0000

Travis etc: there are huge incentives for purchasing a home in Canada already – like the $600 billion (60% of GDP!) that CMHC is permitted to deploy insuring high risk low ratio mortgages. If you ask me, it’s time we removed some of this stimulus to start really bringing home values down to an affordable level.

By: Sonja Dupor

Sonja Dupor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:36:54 +0000

You’re right Travis. When it comes to homes in Greater Vancouver area, the prices are completely outrageous. There should be greater tax incentives for home buyers since the average price of a home in Vancouver is quite unaffordable. (There was a story in the Province that said the average price of homes in Vancouver is nearly a million dollars.) I don’t know anyone who can afford a million dollar home. I think that only brand new homes will be subject to the full HST whereas resale properties will not be directly affected. Home inspections and other costs associated with buying a home might be subject to the 12% HST.

You can find more information at this site: http://www.bcrelinks.com/articles/dtd10.htm

By: Travis Martin

Travis Martin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:02:49 +0000

So then now that we have extra tax being placed on our homes, you know those major 350-900 thousand dollar purchases the average person in BC makes do you not think that the interest accrued over the course of the mortgage on that increased tax will more than make up for any savings? By the way, just like carbon tax we now have additional artificial inflation on the value of our homes, makes buying here both less affordable and less profitable than in other parts of the world.