How Will The Budget Affect Your Family?
Fill up with gas and pay more.
Buy a coffee before work and slip a couple of extra cents from your pocket.
Take a taxi ride in while drinking it and leave an extra buck or two behind.
Go to a gym and work out some extra cash from your wallet.
Hire a gardener and don't expect a cut in his fee.
And go to an accountant to get this all figured out and pay him a little extra for his trouble.
Welcome to your life in July 2010. That's when the new harmonized tax that combines the old GST and PST into one 13 per cent entity takes effect. And it will see you paying more for a wide range of goods.
How can it cost more if the previous GST was 5 per cent and the old PST was 8 per cent? The answer is that many items were exempt from the provincial hit under the old method. But with certain exceptions, the new one forces you to pay that extra amount where you never had to before.
And that's hitting consumers right where it hurts the most - their wallets.
Most haven't had the chance to examine the provisions set out in Thursday's mega-billion dollar Ontario budget. But with an economic meltdown already dripping away their finances, they already don't like the idea.
"If there was ever a bad time, this is probably the worst time," suggests Kathy Woodrich. "People are struggling to make ends meet and you know, there's a realization that things aren't going to get better for quite a while and nickel and diming people to death, so to speak, isn't a very respectful way to deal with your constituents."
"We live on a farm and do other things and it's going to increase our costs immensely," complains Carol Baker.
So what will cost you more and what won't by Canada Day of 2010?
Here's a partial list:
Some items will remain exempt from additional taxation. Those include:
Houses priced between $400,000-500,000 will get a lesser break....
Read more here:
Source...
Fill up with gas and pay more.
Buy a coffee before work and slip a couple of extra cents from your pocket.
Take a taxi ride in while drinking it and leave an extra buck or two behind.
Go to a gym and work out some extra cash from your wallet.
Hire a gardener and don't expect a cut in his fee.
And go to an accountant to get this all figured out and pay him a little extra for his trouble.
Welcome to your life in July 2010. That's when the new harmonized tax that combines the old GST and PST into one 13 per cent entity takes effect. And it will see you paying more for a wide range of goods.
How can it cost more if the previous GST was 5 per cent and the old PST was 8 per cent? The answer is that many items were exempt from the provincial hit under the old method. But with certain exceptions, the new one forces you to pay that extra amount where you never had to before.
And that's hitting consumers right where it hurts the most - their wallets.
Most haven't had the chance to examine the provisions set out in Thursday's mega-billion dollar Ontario budget. But with an economic meltdown already dripping away their finances, they already don't like the idea.
"If there was ever a bad time, this is probably the worst time," suggests Kathy Woodrich. "People are struggling to make ends meet and you know, there's a realization that things aren't going to get better for quite a while and nickel and diming people to death, so to speak, isn't a very respectful way to deal with your constituents."
"We live on a farm and do other things and it's going to increase our costs immensely," complains Carol Baker.
So what will cost you more and what won't by Canada Day of 2010?
Here's a partial list:
- Newspapers;
- Magazines under subscription;
- Taxi, bus, airplane and train fares;
- Gasoline, diesel fuel and propane;
- Residential electricity, natural gas and firewood;
- Campground site fees;
- Home Internet services;
- Certain residential Energy Star appliances;
- Vitamins;
- Gym and fitness memberships;
- Bicycles (and related safety equipment) costing less than $1,000;
- Accounting and legal services;
- Certain financial services fees;
- Construction labour including home building and renovation labour;
- Car towing services;
- Grass cutting and snow removal services; and
- Real Christmas trees purchased in December
Some items will remain exempt from additional taxation. Those include:
- Basic groceries such as flour, sugar, spices, breads, cheese, fruits, vegetables and milk;
- Prepared foods sold by an eating establishment for $4 or less;
- Children's clothing, diapers or footwear costing $30 or less;
- Drugs and medicine sold under a doctor's prescription;
- Dry cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaning and hairstyling, barbering and beauty treatments;
- Car washing or engine shampooing
Houses priced between $400,000-500,000 will get a lesser break....
Read more here:
Source...