Should Manitoba implement the HST?

Should Manitoba implement the HST?

From the Free Press:

"Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Dave Angus held a news conference on Tuesday to press the province to move ahead with HST adoption. To do otherwise would be catastrophic for Manitoba businesses, Angus noted, because they would lose out on millions of dollars in input tax credits available in pro-HST provinces.

Angus makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, the politics of the HST debate is not stacking up in his favour.

The HST requires provincial and federal sales taxes to be applied to the same base of goods and services. In return, businesses producing those goods and services get input rebates on the entire blended sales tax; right now, businesses in provinces like Manitoba only get credits on the federal GST.

It's easy to see why business likes the HST. One tax to collect and remit, more robust tax credits lower the cost of doing business. Where is the downside?

Unfortunately, the HST means consumers must pay additional sales tax on many things that were previously exempt from the provincial levy. That makes the HST a politically risky venture for the governments that embrace it."

Lord knows that the NDP don't need the federal government to help them find ways to tax the crap out of us.

"To do otherwise would be catastrophic for Manitoba businesses, Angus noted, because they would lose out on millions of dollars in input tax credits available in pro-HST provinces."

i call bullshit on that.


This province is so fricking backwards....

"input tax credits" eh?

Since when is adding more things that are taxed a good thing?

HurtinAlbertan wrote:"To do otherwise would be catastrophic for Manitoba businesses, Angus noted, because they would lose out on millions of dollars in input tax credits available in pro-HST provinces."

i call bullshit on that.


This province is so fricking backwards....

It's not good enough just to sprout this horsesh1te. Make an argument man. Several provinces have blended taxes and Manitoba "is so fricking backwards"?

At the end of the day, a blended HST means the consumer pays more taxes. But isn't that the point, to tax consumption!! Aren't consumption bases taxes more "equitable?

The other side of the argument is that a blended HST saves costs to the enterprises who are collecting it, because its just simpler. In theory, it should be cheaper for the governments collecting it, as its a simpler process and there should be some economy of scale. At least thats the theory.

grumpy old man wrote:

HurtinAlbertan wrote:"To do otherwise would be catastrophic for Manitoba businesses, Angus noted, because they would lose out on millions of dollars in input tax credits available in pro-HST provinces."

i call bullshit on that.


This province is so fricking backwards....

It's not good enough just to sprout this horsesh1te. Make an argument man. Several provinces have blended taxes and Manitoba "is so fricking backwards"?

Ok grumpy.

You may be satisfied with the NDP/Socialist approach that "more government involvement is better." I don't buy that theory. Look no further than Alberta. No HST. No socialist pests. No problem.

How has this sort of tax benefited the people of Atlantic Canada? They are still the poorest provinces, have highest unemployment rate, and even worse, taxed more than any region in Canada.

Stick with the winners, GOM. Say NO to the HST.

I say horsesh1te to that response as well. How about some facts HA. Don't point to the Maritimes and say how has the tax benefited them? Tell me how it has affected them. Use facts that actuallty relate to the issue.

They were the very first to harmonize. Are you actually suggesting the HST is responsible for their unemployment rate? Their "poverty"?

So, let me get this right. The NDP don't want to adopt the HST because it will widen the base of goods and services subject to PST, thereby increasing taxes. Now, everyone stop and think about it. The NDP are claiming that they don't want to tax us more than they already are. Doesn't anyone else find this funny??

The NDP can negotiate to exempt certain items that are not now subject to PST. Baby food for instance (not sure if it is correct but you get the idea).

The other thing to consider is compensation the Feds pay if something is lost that is not FSTable but is PSTable.

Not sure if this is a zero sum game. But I don't think anyone knows just yet what this harmonization will cost the average man and woman.

We should find out before declaring the sky is falling...

But if the Nippers don't get it from us through a broader based HST, don't you think that they're going to get it off us some other way?

The NDP is in serious trouble. They've been getting deliriously fat off the federal teat for so long now and passing it off as a job well done. Now they will discover how it feels to really govern when daddy isn't handing out wads of cash willy-nilly.

Of course they will blame the feds and everybody else when they realize just how much they've made Manitoba dependent on Federal transfer dollars (welfare).

This is a time-bomb for the NDP. That is why evil doer left when he did. Someone else will get blamed for what is sure to happen in the next two years...

Yep it will be shocking what a drunkin sailor can spend.

Oh look, Pav made a post and didn't mention Brian Mulroney!! Mark that date on your calendar.

"Yep it will be shocking what a drunkin sailor can spend"

"Oh look, Pav made a post and didn't mention Brian Mulroney!! Mark that date on your calendar."

are we reading the same post freeman?