quote:

Originally posted by MarkT keep in mind the GST replaced the 13.5% FST and was intended to be revenue neutral (though that no doubt proved not to be the case over time). But I would be curious to see the "net gain" in federal coffers. Early figures I found indicated $50 billion gross, but only $20 billon net after costs, rebates, payouts to comp provinces for HST implementation, etc. Then, of course, you need to subtract whatever the gov't was collecting from the FST. I'm honestly curious though and not suggesting the GST did NOT add billions...I just haven't found the actual figures. It's kind of hard to debate though when you say things like "the Liberals did nothing and stole our money, that's a FANTASTIC record over the course of 13 years". come on. even the most ardant Liberal hater can't stand behind such sweeping, dismissive statements, lol. in any case, this has gone *way* off track... my point is to suggest that the ~$12 billion dollars in GST revenue could have been put to better use by the CPC and that it's more PR move than sound policy. if you disagree, then I'd like to see your argument for why the GST cuts were the BEST option...and answering that it's great to see a party stick to its election promises is NOT an valid argument in that regard. To say it's 'better than nothing' isn't valid either. Why is this the BEST option...because shouldn't we hold that standard for all of our administrations...doing what is BEST for the country?

You got me, I was arguing like a 10 year old instead of thinking before I typed.

What would have been the BEST option or use for the 1% GST? I would have allocated it entirely to the national debt, which would have led to huge long-term savings, and a small immediate savings through interest costs that could have been passed down to the people. But giving the money back to the people straight-up is the second-best option to me. I'll take second-best when the alternative is voting for any of the other parties in Canada. If something needs a huge funding increase, I'm in the camp that says prioritize your shit and get it done. I'm not a member of camp "Tax the hell out of everyone and then tax them some more when we need more money to run our services." There are plenty of programs the feds fund that should be cut before raising taxes ever happens. There's waste in the system, and covering it up with GST and higher taxes is the wrong way to go about fixing it.

___________________
Captain Planet is gey.
Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Heart???
These forces are supposed to combine to create Captain Planet?
Bullshit.
Those forces combine to create a soaking, boiling mudstorm on Valentine's Day.