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Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse

Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse.

OPINION | Canadians need to grow a consumer backbone: Neil Macdonald

So, United Airlines, after three weeks of groveling and apologizing for that terrifying police-state video on one of its flights a few weeks ago, is doing the sensible thing.

Instead of calling in police goons to brutalize seated passengers and drag them off overbooked flights, United will from now on offer up to $10,000 US to passengers who volunteer to take a later flight. A United spokeswoman quickly returned my call to confirm that.

But then, that’s the way the American market works.

Any U.S. company facing a blast-wave of consumer anger, and, in United’s case, watching its stock price wither, does what it has to do, knowing that customers can easily choose the competition.

Flight crews in the United States acknowledge that a thousand times a day upon landing: “Thanks for choosing us, we know you have a choice, and we appreciate your business,” or something to that effect.

Ever hear that on Air Canada? I haven’t.

read more at cbc.ca

 

Is the government about to make the Internet even more expensive for all Canadians?

At OpenMedia, we cover a wide range of digital rights issues, and so we’ve really seen the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly when it comes to policy proposals over the years. And this one’s a doozy: Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly is considering adding a new ISP tax to the monthly bills of Canada’s Internet subscribers.

This new tax will make Internet access even more expensive, despite the fact that Canadians already pay among the highest prices in the industrialized world for this basic necessity. Indeed, fees are already so high that 44 per cent of low-income households do not have a home Internet connection, leaving vast numbers of Canadians excluded from our digital endowment.

The ISP tax is the brainchild of Canada’s large publishers and broadcasters, who have been using government consultations about how to fund Canadian content to push their plan. In a nutshell, they want to burden Canadian Internet users with an ISP tax in order to subsidize industries that are struggling to adapt to the digital age.

If implemented, an ISP tax will have serious consequences for our digital future. Making our sky-high Internet bills even more expensive will make it even tougher for low-income Canadians to surmount barriers to access, excluding them from the benefits of the open Internet. An ISP tax will also force offline low-income Canadian households which are barely managing to afford Internet access, further exacerbating our stark digital divide.

Source: http://rabble.ca/columnists/2016/11/government-about-to-make-internet-even-more-expensive-all-canadians

Canadian Gov’t Keeping Options Open On Digital Taxation

Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly has said that she will discuss with the Finance Minister the potential application of a sales tax to foreign online services operating in the country.

During an interview with CTV News, Joly was asked whether the Government would force companies such as Netflix to pay into the Canada Media Fund that contributes to the production of Canadian content. She responded: “There will be no Netflix tax. This is a broader question: it’s about the participation of digital platforms to the system.”

In September, Joly launched a consultation on “Canadian Content in a Digital World.” Commenting on the consultation, Joly told CTV that the Government was “looking at all scenarios – certainly we want to engage with different digital platforms in the conversation and how they can support Canadian content.”

Pressed as to whether the Government could apply a sales tax for foreign online services operating in Canada, Joly replied that “this is a conversation of course that I will be having with the Minister of Finance Bill Morneau regarding sales tax.” She did however emphasize that this issue was “not necessarily under the purview of Canadian heritage – it’s much more under the purview of my colleague.”

Source: http://www.tax-news.com/news/Canadian_Govt_Keeping_Options_Open_On_Digital_Taxation____72512.html

Internet price hikes could be coming as Ottawa reviews cultural policy, critics warn

Like it or not, your internet bill might soon go up to help pay for something you may not care all that much about — Canadian content.

The federal government has launched a massive review of Canadian-made content in the digital age that will include who should be footing the bill.

For decades, cable and satellite TV providers have had to contribute funds to create domestic programs. The idea is simple: if we support Canadian storytelling, we help preserve our culture and identity.

But critics claim an added internet levy is not a wise move for Canada. They believe the fee would be passed on to customers, making a vital service cost prohibitive for some.

“We need to make sure the internet is more accessible to Canadians, not less,” said Josh Tabish with Vancouver-based Open Media, an internet advocacy group.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/internet-canadian-content-government-1.3810251