Fed Issue #32 - today's budget and taxes going up again.

Mosquito.
I rode the train from Picking to Union. It was $242 a month, not $100. By the time I stepped on the train it was standing room only. Meaning those coming from Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa ( who pay quite a bit more).....Rouge was fairly busy as well, but beyond that ridership falls off dramatically. I Imagine its the same with other lines.

Just checked their site. If I read it right the cost per trip from Oshawa to Union is 10. for the first 35 rides. So lets call it $350/month, or $4,200/year and $630 of their money back, not 180. That is reality.

Likely the same kind of people who no longer get child sport credits, child art credits, child summer camp credits and more.........The "MC" by numerical and statistical definition are couples that make 70k. Think about that.
And the vast majority don't have pensions either..

So I guess the answer is, governments just pile on the debt, and we never pay for it. The problem isn't too many taxes, or credits.Its spending and debt and the piper having to be paid.Well that and tax code that contains thousands of tax credits, because over the many years each government tries to buy a few votes by giving a few crumbs back.........To some. You think Harper was trying to give those people losing significant ground a crumb when he brought the credit in?????????Lol, please. See also TFSAs........He was doing exactly what you tear strips out of JT or Wynne for. Buying your vote with your money....And he to didnt give 2 hoots about the "MC", those aren't votes he was interested in........

Again don't get me wrong, but perhaps you can come up with a reason why everyone else outside the big cities should subsidize your TTC pass, Go Train and sooooooooooooooooooooo very much more, while getting almost jack themselves. How much has Ms Wynne pledged to extend Go Trains to Newcastle?
120 billion for 20 km, thats how much.

I wonder how many billions the Lakeshore East and West line alone...
how much is it costing to build the 407 to the 115 (lets ignore the billions and billions and billions done before 2016).....
have cost rural Ontarians ......alone...........................
All for 'you"
So your not stuck in gridlock
So you can have lots of jobs
So you can have a high paying job.
So your small bungalow can sell for 1,000,000

I would much prefer they not spend like mad, pile on debt because it means it has to be paid for. Your answer then having lived beyond your means is to screw your kids? Or people who live in rural Canada?

So why should a single person who is "MC" and remember who they are ( people that earn 40-to say 60)Claims no dependants, and thus gets no child credit, no other credits, who lives say in small town Ontario. Who is getting utterly pummelled by this that and the other, and now Carbon Taxes to because because cities pollute like stink, who doesn't have a ton of employment opportunity because governments have made sure 90% of all corporate welfare goes to cities so you can have a good paying job and your subsidized 407, and subsidized TTC or Go Transit...and thats just scratching the tip of the ice berg.,

Your right in that they are turning this country in us versus them.
East vs West
Rural vs Urban
Haves vs have nots.

Just like the US.

I am using the example from the link as $100, even the Student TTC is $116 per month.

As for buying their vote ... did you vote Liberal? That sounds like their idea that anything they can't grab is lost gov't revenue. Harper encouraged people to save with the TFSA and given the numbers it seems to be a real success but the Liberal's don't like people keeping the money they earned, they see it as lost gov't revenue. Harper encouraged specific spending on items like kids sports, arts and music and savings and the Liberals chose to not make kids and saving important and to now even take away the encouragement to take a train instead of driving.

OH and of course GO etc. is subsidized, it is a public system that needs to meet the needs of as many as possible without getting ridiculous. Some of the changes like the all day runs that McGoofy put in are overboard but the expansion of the system will benefit Ontario even if it is at a loss. Which when you look it is not even significant when compared to a single Wynne fiasco or Trudope throwing money out the window to whoever.
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/aboutus/...14-2015_EN.pdf
Metrolinx revenues comprise of commuter, PRESTO and non-fare revenues. Net loss represents the excess of operating expenses, including amortization, over revenues earned in the year. The net loss for the year of $17.8 million was slightly
higher than the 2013-14 actual loss of $16.9 million and the 2014-15 budgeted loss of $15.5 million.

Their continued expansion will help anyone needing to go in or out of Toronto for work, school etc.

Part of Metrolinx's Big Move regional transportation plan, it is estimated to cost $4.9 billion and serve 30 million additional riders by 2031.[22] Other possible future rail service extensions identified in GO Transit's 2020 plan include Niagara Region, Bolton, Brantford, Peterborough and Uxbridge.


So taking the $630 and applying ridership....

Daily ridership 304,000 (all modes)[1]
- 227,000 (train)
- 77,000 (bus)
Annual ridership 69.5 million (2015)[1]

304,000/2 (round trips) * 630 and assuming all have bought their monthly passes etc. sat that rate o $95,760,000 .... or less than 95 windmills of the 3,000+ etc. That also isn't including the changes that would be required to road, parking, air pollution etc. if even 15% of those people drove. It is small change for the federal gov't and to put it in perspective how many days of working did someone just loose to the gov't coffers?

Me vote liberal.
lol, give your head a shake Mosquito, and I say that nicely before things go downhill, for no other reason than I unlike you think it's past time people start actually paying for all the spending...........Especially those in cities. You really have no idea or appreciation for who the middle class is, or what life is like outside the land of plenty. And what your lifestyle and wants are doing to them.

TFSAs.
Again, been there done that and while they do help everyone, you must live on some very distant planet if you think the typical stiff can max them year in and year out. Despite the facts thats are so plainly evident. Fact like people being in debt, facts like the middle class is shrinking, facts like so very much. Facts like people taking out reverse mortgages to see them through. Not sure how you can be so blind when right here in Rural Ontario...................

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/ca...-is-relentless

"benefits everyone"
lol ok Mosquito you keep telling yourself that. You keep telling yourself that people in tim but to are benefiting, from the bazillions that gets spent on the GTA............in dozens of ways...
lol.

If you want to "argue" that such things are necessary, I agree.
Pay for them yourself.....worded differently don't ask for handouts for the things that while needed, really only benefit "you". You already get a ton of benefits, like companies that come and create wealth, high paying jobs, and much much more, including exploding real estate prices...Great for you.....but someone in Burks Falls....not so much...

Your starting to sound like Ms Wynne, when she tells everyone the investments in Green Energy benefit "everyone", while ramming all those wind farms down rural Ontarios throat, and charging rural Ontario more for crap that the city "needs".

Is Go Transit needed? Is the TTC needed? And more
yep.So pay for it, don't ask everyone else to subsidize it.

They can't afford it.

Here is just one very oversimplified "example"

The feds are now committing 7 billion to provide more child care spaces. Ok, from everything I've read it's needed, especially here in Ontario, where there are shortages. Severe shortages.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...cates-say.html


Where do you think the vast majority of those new spaces, and child care workers to be hired are going?
Smith Falls?
Port Dover?
Napanee?

Now the Country is already in debt up to its eyeballs paying for everything, ( btw have you seen how much debt Ontario has?) Who or where exactly do you think the vast majority of that debt has been and is spent?

They can raise taxes on everyone despite the fact the vast majority of that 7billion is going to big cities so you can go to work on the tax payer funded Go Train or 407 and earn lots of money until the day you cash in your million dollar small bungalow.......

Or they can eliminate some tax breaks that cost them 500 million or 1 billion, from people who relatively speaking reap sooooooooooooooooooooooo many benefits from all that spending, while others just pay for it all.

Yep .... calling you Liberal got the response I thought .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=Z6WF5n-e2wc
of course my response would have been https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6AKOTqDJeA :silly:

That paying their fair share stuff does sound like it is coming out of Justin's mouth though, all while he took money FROM charities and has taxpayers pay for nannies and $127,000 for vacations.

Let's try a bit of real world, Canada is a nation which is made up of local communities, many of which have different income levels. Now it is the responsibility , (maybe that is the word you are having trouble with?) to help the overall community... Canada. City states are history and Toronto contributes billions to the economy of Canada and if we force those smaller communities we will see what the Liberal's in Ontario are doing now, closing down schools all over the province but on a grander scale including water, roads, power .....

I know of your dislike of the TFSA ... regardless of the evidence of how much it is helping people for saving for more than their retirement.
http://business.financialpost.com/pe...-walks-of-life
https://www.cibc.com/en/personal-ban...advantage.html


This budget also includes a few nice little things like ...

“The payroll budgets of every business and the take home pay for Canadian workers will now drop for 6 straight years, with an EI hike in 2018 and 5 years of CPP premium hikes starting in 2019.” - CFIB – Dan Kelly, President

and from the link you provided more proof of the liebral's spin.
The introduction touts that single Canadians who have benefited from last year’s middle class tax cut are, on average, $330 better off, while couples who benefited are, on average $540 to the good. But this is playing with words. It does not mean the average Canadian is richer by those amounts, it refers to the average gains of those who benefited. The median tax-filer earning $45,000 a year doesn’t earn enough to benefit and is, therefore, excluded from the number.



Now back to the punitive nature of the transit credit cut and the evidence.... let's look at the evidence of who is on the train. I found Port Credit's demographics so I will use that, TTC would be much more on the lower income obviously.
http://www.metrolinx.com/mobilityhub...rtCreditGO.pdf
We see that more than 1 in 5 using the GO is making less than $30,000, note of course it is a tax credit so they wouldn't be able to use all of it to their benefit probably but if they are using your example of $680 and we take 50% that is still about 2 days wages at the max. 30,000. We also see that 16% or about 1 in 7 that arrived by bus, so that would even more spent on transit. Do you think that cities like London, Windsor etc. that have public transit actually aren't subsidized and shouldn't be?
http://www.ltconline.ca/Fares.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Transit

Now back to the basics of civilization and communities, your whole thing about paying their fair share ignores the realities of roads (maintenance, plowing etc.), the power grid, hospitals, police, water, waste, trash etc.
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/site...etheWealth.pdf
Main Conclusions
• Greater Toronto Area (GTA) taxpayers pay out almost $24 billion
more in taxes than they receive in government spending—a net
tax burden equal to 11 percent of the GTA economy


So .... be careful what you wish for about paying their fair share, the evidence says the GTA is getting short changed and in a sweep of their pen the Lib's just stole as much as 2 days wages from 1 in 5 riders on the GO, how would you like loosing 2 days wages?

omg, your funny.

Two words Mosquito.
300,000,000 debt

Tell us again how the GTA carries it weight. Obviously, very obviously expenses>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Revenue. Try using your mind, rather than just being a google king.

Do note, while generally a fan of most Fraser institute stuff, it like the Sun is far right wing. You know, hardly less than impartial. You might as well google something from a Union or the the CBC and claim it as proof. Do you ever actually think for yourself?

Notice in their report they don't actually show or prove anything with respect to spending. Take healthcare and education alone given they are the two largest slices of the pie. Where do think the majority of Hospitals, healthcare workers, school boards, schools, Teachers, EAs and custodians are and sooooooooooooo many more are, be they social workers, be they physiotherapist, be they mental health institutions, long term care institutions, physiologist, be they........on and on and on....

$300,000,000 billion debt. Yeah the city is carrying it's weight.
lol. Your done before it even begins Mosquito....

Nor do they go into vote buying........
Remind us all again where the gas plants were.
Remind us all again companies like MaRs are.
Remind us all where NoTL is and 100,000,000 for wine sippers are
Remind us all where the people who will be taking advantage of $15,000 tax credits for toy cars are...
Remind us as you just did where the $ is? What about buying votes by home improvement credits. What you think people in small town Ontario can afford all brand new appliances, new furnaces, new windows, etc, etc, etc are...Oh and btw, doesn't that do a nice job of creating jobs in the GTA, all that spending on home improvements, taking advantage of yet more tax credits.....
and on
and on
and on

Heres a simple concept for you that you seem utterly unable to grasp.Without all that spending, be it in infraststucture, like the 401 (just the busiest highway in North America, and in amazingly good shape given all that traffic....cant imagine how much that cost keeping it better shape than any other highway in NA.......) or even Pearson International.....and much much much much more...be it "corporate welfare" enticing companies build, or expand, be it on services like Hospitals (and lots of them) or family Doctors or walk in clinics where people can go for the sniffles, ( you are aware Im sure of the problems in emergency rooms?) X-Rays, blood work..and sooooooooooo very much more....Theres a walk in on almost every corner these days........( you do know I hope there is a shortage of GPs to) be on this that and the other.

Toronto and the GTA wouldn't be what it is, so before patting yourself on the back and bragging about how much money it brings in and lol, spreading it around...........you might think about those things, and also why most people outside the GTA think the GTA is self centred and full of themselves. Nay most people in Canada think the GTA is. You know "the centre of the Universe"..

A place where there are lot of jobs, high paying jobs, costly real estate ( um clue for you Mosquito if you would just pause and use your brain rather than being a google king. Why do people pay so much for housing in the GTA...because there are plenty of jobs, (and why are there plenty of jobs????), plenty of nearby schools, plenty of hospitals, public transit, highways like the 401, 400 and 407, access to other services, like MTO and service Ontario centres, also like a Tims on "every corner"and on and on and on).......

Basically a chicken or egg type thing, except this is very easy to answer.........Ever see the movie " Field of Dreams"....Whats the most famous line from that. I think it goes something like "If you build it......"

lol good god. Sometimes I don't know if the internet and access to information is a good thing or bad. Good on one hand, but bad in that people no longer think for themselves.One last clue for you Mosquito about "distribution". If you paused long enough to think you might have paused long enough to wonder why so many move to the GTA. Lol, too funny, and it's not the other way around.......Or simply keep it just within the GTA. Why is the West side so much more expensive, why are there so many corporate offices, along with industry compared to the East side, where theres basically nothing except for GM (and even that is a shell of its former self).... Could it possibly be because the tax payers of Ontario spent bazillions on the 401, 403, 407, Perason International and much more.....Nah couldn't be.

Try thinking rather than just googling. Of coarse if the Fraser wasn't interested in selling a spin, and you spent just a wee bit more time thinking rather than googling you might see that. You might also be able to think for yourself and wonder why it is so many Ontarian's flock to the GTA and for that matter Canadians and immigrants to.
What you think it all happened by accident?
seriously????????

Hmmmm, I don't see them or you thinking about Hydro either.
Ever looked at Ontario from the sky at night, maybe as your flying into Pearson International......? And thats just at night.......So um, who do you think is benefitting oh so much from all the wind farms, Nuke Plants, Gas Plants, Hydro Plants. Hmmmmmm, I wonder how much that cost everyone.....................
Just who exactly do you think needs all that power?
And who pays for it all?
Everyone .

Your welcome.

TFSAs once again.
When have I ever said I didn't like them. If you don't stop twisting words and putting words in my mouth it continues to go downhill. Yes thats a warning. If you were able to think, you might understand the argument, which is they are of far more benefit to those with lots of disposable income, and thus it helps well off and rich people far, far, far more. Wow how hard is that to grasp. The kind of people who have no trouble saving 10g a year.

But maybe we can end this here and now, given you think everyone is able to max them. What the hell are you bellyaching and crying over then. If you have 10,000 every year for a TFSA, then obviously you and everyone don't need the extra $5,000 in room....or......15% tax credit on public transit....


As I said, try thinking first.

Here's another example of not thinking for yourself first, and instead relying on google.
The introduction touts that single Canadians who have benefited from last year’s middle class tax cut are, on average, $330 better off, while couples who benefited are, on average $540 to the good. But this is playing with words. It does not mean the average Canadian is richer by those amounts, it refers to the average gains of those who benefited. The median tax-filer earning $45,000 a year doesn’t earn enough to benefit and is, therefore, excluded from the number.

Way to go, I hope you never mention the reduction in TFSA limits again, way to shoot yourself in the foot.

300,000,000 Debt and our federal debt is growing to.
Curious Mosquito, how do you propose the province hire the much needed tens of thousands of Nurses ( and where are most of them being let go??), the thousands of GPs (800,000 Ontarians without one) and so very much more......if your not willing to pay for it. And with respect to trickle effects.....please.
Have you opened your eyes and actually looked around the province.....

Decided to play it safe lest there be any temptation to continue this.

From the woman we both hate, she at least finally admitted what is so painfully obvious. We both know why she can see the utter disparity that you can't and is admitting it. Because she knows she's about to lose power, that everyone outside the GTA is beyond furious.

There was a better article in your favourite paper Mosquito, the Toronto Sun where she admits the wealth hasn't been evenly disputed, that investments in such things as infrastructure, corporate welfare or tax breaks to create jobs, and wealth and economic activity has been grossly one sided. And with that comes the associated cost of paying for it all.
300,000,000 in debt.

You can google key words such as " Wynne left behind unfair" to find many articles on it.

Heres a quote from the horses mouth (and we all know exactly she is finally admitting it)
[quote] In one of several year-end interviews this week, Wynne expressed worry over those regions of Ontario that continue to do poorly economically and haven't shared in whatever prosperity and growth the province (read: Toronto) has experienced in recent years.

Her musings were prompted by two events: Donald Trump's election to the White House last month, and a report from the Fraser Institute that provides statistical proof of those disparities within Ontario.

So even your mighty FI, isn't afraid to call a spade a spade when the spin suits them.
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2...ld-worry-wynne

Your welcome.
From all the tax payers in Ontario (and yes even Canada)
You should be a little more thankful and grateful, and or "carry your weight" for a change.

One "last" thing, hopefully you will humor me for the sake of A) safety B) general courtesy C) "etiquette. It's in my sig.

I personally don't care if you are of the opinion that TO/GTA don't "receive" more than it kicks back. Don't care, you are of the opinion that all that it is, all that does raise/contribute happened by accident despite have no intrinsic value/industry on it's own ( Say like Oil in Alberta, or resources in the north, or shipping ports in the East). That if not for everyone paying for things like Pearson Intl, or the 401,403,427,407 public transit and sooooooooooo much more (just compare the west side to the east side for example)....

Dont care, if you are of the opinion that somehow we can just go on and on living on debt (provincially and federally without paying for it). I will agree that cutting waste and spending is the first steps, but until the electorate gets it......and does actually start paying, they aren't going... and who always votes red? Where are the Liberal Srong holds....Gee I wonder why that is ....( for reference the Drummond report and having to not only reduce spending but find ways to increase revenue)...

Don't care if you are of the opinion, that despite so much to the contrary with respect to the "middle class", how for decades increased taxation ( because we have to pay for things like 400 series, airports, Nuke plants, Gas plants, Wind farms and services, building great cities that have so much to offer) and stagnant wages ( corporate greed and not spreading the wealth, be it the big banks, or cities) or simply how Ontario mirrors the US rust belt.........well all but the GTA that is...........Or wow Ms Wynne coming clean, imagine that..Of coarse we all know why she is admitting that now, now that she is on the brink.....And her only remaining support is the GTA and Ottawa.

Those and more are your opinions...And you are more than entitled to them.You are also allowed to think well "whatever"...
Just as thinking because we are so far in debt, can't afford Nurses, Drs, and more, or because the little people are taking it on the chin, and there is going to be a world of hurt when we hit the wall, especially when people who aren't so fortunate can't retire or end up on social assistance etc, those who have benefitted from oh so much, the most have to start paying for it. Are my opinions.

You might do well to remember that and think about that (and some of the things I've pointed out. You dont have to agree, it's not about proving who is right) in the future. Before sounding off simply because someone's opinion differs a little ( raising revenue and eliminating some tax credits is needed as and expressing that) or a lot from yours.

We need more stimulus money.

What good did the last bunch do?

One reason why I wasn't against JT campaigning on a 10b deficit (what's a little white lie though). Harper was a fairly good steward and Canada can easily handle a little bit.

Unlike Ontario where the wad has been blown (on who what and where exactly?????? )and now hydro 1 is being sold to help cover just that cost...(infrastructure/stimulus).

Still don't know how 800,000 people without GPs.......or nurses or.....wheres that $ coming from....



Of coarse it also depends "where" JT spends it. God knows the GTA has had massive amounts thrown at it over the years. Creating jobs/wealth............that many don't seem to understand/appreciate.

Funny thing is, there is nothing really that Toronto has, that couldn't instead be in......... Montreal. Which is actually better situated on the St Lawrence...in fact for many years TO and MTL battled it out for the financial capital. The two stock exchanges, big banks in each....

Thankfully for "us" here. Tax payers of Ontario poured bazillions into this that and the other......did things to entice companies to locate here, especially to the west side.......... Offered tax breaks and incentives. Built highways, airports......more..all courtesy of the tax payers of Ontario......almost forgot didn't Harper finally decide to build a 2nd airport in Pickering now that the infrastructure like the 401, 407, go transit and so much more...........

Almost like Bombarier there and other companies. In fact separation helped us to. All kinds of corporate office fled Quebec back then.......

I'm sure our world would be extremely different or will be if the tax payers of Canada start pouring tons into MTL....

If you build it.............

Bottom line.
its past time people begin to understand a few things. At its simplest, a look south towards the US rust belt, mid west, why Trump won.etc etc.

or simply both the Ms Wynne and the Fraser institute calling a spade a spade. What rare honesty from a politician.