Conservatives deliver balanced budget ahead of election

Just ignore the fact that none of it takes effect for 2 - 4 years.

And, wasn't it "Frank Underwood" that robbed a disaster contingency fund to create jobs and try to win an election? How life imitates art.

Good to see the budget "balanced itself".

Yes, it's so much better than the "Conservatives" posting the largest deficit ever in Canadian history. They even stopped posting detailed breakdowns of ministry expenditures after that fiasco.

I didn't like the Liberals much, but at least Paul Martin posted surpluses that took effect that year.

I always love to hear people talk/write about the deficit like it had no purpose, no cause and no reason behind it.

I always love to hear people talk/write about the deficit like it had no purpose, no cause and no reason behind it.

This. The deficits had a purpose that were demanded.

That said, the Conservatives basically cheated to balance the budget. Raise the fucking GST back to 7% and your budget will be square.

That ^^.

Tax cuts for people that don't need it won't generate more revenue. And make the GST across the board! It's always bugged me that it's on some things, and not others. Flat tax, or piss off!

How did they cheat?

Why not just raise all taxes to ensure we're in surplus?

That ^^.

Tax cuts for people that don't need it won't generate more revenue. And make the GST across the board! It's always bugged me that it's on some things, and not others. Flat tax, or piss off!

I like the idea of GST exemptions. If you want to get in-depth, I like the idea of GST brackets based on cost or type of item within a consumer category.



Using the rainy day fund to post a surplus. It's a tiny amount, but it was the tiny amount required to turn the numbers black. Raising GST would have had a more significant impact.

I can't think of a reason why increasing GST to ensure we are in surplus would be a bad thing. Can you?

That ^^.

Tax cuts for people that don't need it won't generate more revenue. And make the GST across the board! It's always bugged me that it's on some things, and not others. Flat tax, or piss off!

I like the idea of GST exemptions. If you want to get in-depth, I like the idea of GST brackets based on cost or type of item within a consumer category.


That's why I disliked it. Mens' toiletries, exempt. Womens toiletries, not exempt. New cars, GST applies. Used Car, no GST. I bought dougnuts last week for our team get together, and on $30 I paid 10 cents GST because I bought a coffee with the 2 dozen doughnuts, muffins and cookies. That's why there has been a severe lack of income for the government. To me, it seems like a good trade off that I have to pay a couple bucks GST on my doughnuts, if it means that science and the military get funded properly.

I like GST credits for low income earners, but that can unfairly require them to dish the GST out first before getting it back at tax time. But that also saves money for all the people who have to code cash registers as to what GST applies to and what it doesn't.

The reason not to raise the GST is because all the homeless than can't receive their GST rebates. I have it on good authority.

Perhaps the exemptions need to change. Food from a grocery store, toiletries, electrical/heating/water bills, house rental and private sales are the only things that should be GST exempt IMO. Everything else should be taxed, including doughnuts.

That ^^.

Tax cuts for people that don't need it won't generate more revenue. And make the GST across the board! It's always bugged me that it's on some things, and not others. Flat tax, or piss off!

I like the idea of GST exemptions. If you want to get in-depth, I like the idea of GST brackets based on cost or type of item within a consumer category.



Using the rainy day fund to post a surplus. It's a tiny amount, but it was the tiny amount required to turn the numbers black. Raising GST would have had a more significant impact.

I can't think of a reason why increasing GST to ensure we are in surplus would be a bad thing. Can you?
Pensioners. People on disability. They're already taking a shit kicking with soaring food prices and consumer products that need near constant replacing because they're cheaply and shittily manufactured intentionally so that you have to keep buying more/replacing them.

Example, I paid $1100 for a new, high efficiency washing machine two years ago. The fucking drum snapped its moorings yesterday and now that washing machine is an $1100 piece of scrap.
But yeah, I sure wouldn't mind paying an extra 1% on the price for that

Pensioners. People on disability. They're already taking a shit kicking with soaring food prices and consumer products that need near constant replacing because they're cheaply and shittily manufactured intentionally so that you have to keep buying more/replacing them.

Example, I paid $1100 for a new, high efficiency washing machine two years ago. The fucking drum snapped its moorings yesterday and now that washing machine is an $1100 piece of scrap.
But yeah, I sure wouldn't mind paying an extra 1% on the price for that

That's what the rebates are for. But, if people on fixed incomes are the worry, or the homeless as OTI would have it, just raise income taxes but also raise the personal exemption.

You wouldn't have a clue since you don't do anything for homeless people besides bitch online.



Governments raid reserve funds all the time.

While it might make economic sense, it's a terrible political move.