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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.

P.E.I. man wants to know why he pays HST on electricity he generates himself

Every aspect of Kris Currie’s home in New Dominion, P.E.I., was designed to minimize energy usage — from the thickness of the walls, to the position of the windows, to the choice of appliances, like a heat pump-powered clothes dryer.

Even the paint colour on the interior walls was chosen to reflect natural sunlight, so no lights have to be on during daytime.

The result is what’s known as a “net-zero home,” meant to generate all the power it needs over a year from the 35 solar panels on the roof.

What Currie didn’t know when he built the home is that “net-zero” doesn’t apply when it comes to the HST.

Read more at cbc.ca

Quebec to spend surplus on eliminating health tax

Quebec’s finance minister says the province finally has its debt under control and so can now afford to spend $2.2 billion over the next three years on infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

In a mid-fiscal-year budget update on Tuesday, Carlos Leitao said the provincial government is now in a position to eliminate the health tax for all Quebecers on Jan. 1, 2017, two years ahead of schedule.

Leitao had promised in March 2015 to begin wiping out the health tax for low-income Quebecers in 2017, and to eliminate it for everyone in 2019.

This will cost the provincial government $179 million in the current fiscal year.

“Now that our house is in order, we have the means to change things to improve the lives of Quebecers,” said Leitao, who, in addition to spending more on healthcare and education, also wants to take measures to improve the economy in rural Quebec.

Leitao said it’s all a sign that steady, patient work and so-called austerity measures have been effective.

Source: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-to-spend-surplus-on-eliminating-health-tax-1.3130592

Why Canadian Club is cheaper in America: A product-by-product look at the U.S.-Canada price gap

Canadian shoppers live with the fear that whenever they buy something, an American to the south is probably buying it cheaper. But an investigation of the so-called cross-border “price gap” reveals a murky world where some items are pricier, some things are cheaper — and it’s not always clear why.Below, a maddening product-by-product journey into the phenomenon that everyone hates, but nobody understands.

From Bellingham, Wash. to Champlain, N.Y., the United States’ northern border is filled with towns whose primary industry is servicing the whims of Canadian shoppers. One of the top sellers in these towns? Tires. Depending on the model, it can cost up to 50 per cent more to swap them out in Canada versus doing it in the U.S. According to the Tire Dealer Association of Canada, it’s all due to “country pricing.” There is no import tariff to bring U.S.-made tires into Canada, but Canadians retailers say that their supplier contracts with tire makers force them to buy from Canadian affiliates who charge inflated Canada-specific prices. “In the end it’s the Canadian tire consumer who gets gouged by higher tire prices,” wrote the Association in 2013. But as with many things on this list, there is no blanket rule. A Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus goes for $112.99 at a typical Canadian Costco. Head to the Bellingham, WA Costco, meanwhile, and you’ll pay $125.05.

Source: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/why-canadian-club-is-cheaper-in-america-a-product-by-product-look-at-the-u-s-canada-price-gap