Happy Canada Day, Ontario! Canada Day Weather & What Will Cost You More to Celebrate!
Ξ July 1st, 2010 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Canada, cottage country, Haliburton Highlands, holiday(s), Maple Lake Ontario, NON paid Post, Ontario, personal, summertime, weather |
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I was planning to put up a “Happy Canada Day ” post and after quite a bit of searching google.ca I came up with very little in the Haliburton Highlands even though I know there is plenty happening. Heck, it’s enough that this is the first official long weekend of the summer, right? That is something to celebrate.*** Scroll down to check out the weather below.
Coincidentally, I was was reading today that if Americans want nationalized health care like Canada and Europe then we shall have to pay taxes as you do. Now that I’ve read through a comprehensive list of what you have been paying for sales tax and what you will as of July 1, Canada Day, for my area of the United States (Greater Chicago) there is __right now__ little difference in taxes. (Illinois’ taxing system is both incredibly complicated and incredibly corrupt. Currently some areas pay 11.50% sales tax.)
Even out here, 25 miles northwest of the City of Big Shoulders we pay 10% sales tax and that includes infant car seats and baby clothes and shoes and of course, we pay our health care out of pocket (including prescription drug taxes, taxes on eyeglasses & contact lenses, etc.) whilst paying relatively high sales taxes overall (the highest in the U.S.– Governor Terminator out in California raised their base state sales tax to 11.5%, allowing county tax to be added so they are probably paying what Ontario is and they still don’t have health care!)
So to get to the point, you really do not have it all that bad especially if you cut your own hair, give yourself your own mani and pedicures, don’t smoke, don’t take vitamins and don’t drive a petrol-fueled car. Just about across the board your so-called sin taxes are going up according to the “Harmonized Sales Tax Guide,” which I’ve pieced together and you can read at it’s full size but clicking on each page twice.
I can’t say I’m thrilled about the gasoline taxes getting higher but we kept that in mind when we needed to replace our family sedan. We aren’t in the income bracket to purchase a hybrid but still we found a decent compact car that sips petrol at about 40 mpg. The fact is we won’t change our behaviours that impact ourselves/the environment without a nudge and sometimes a kick in the derriere and so the new “harmonized” taxes reflect exactly that.
This is completely inappropriate to bring up here but it’s true (skip this paragraph if you have tender sensibilities).
The harmonized sales tax dings diaper-clad babies at the 5% GST but incontinent adults are completely exempt from all taxes. Since diapers are paper products usually, they shouldn’t be in a special category because the are deathly to the landfills so making them exempt from HST makes the “sin-tax” logic go out the window. Same argument for adult diapers and paper-based feminine hygiene products. I’m sure if I read closely I’d find other examples that go back and forth sometimes seemingly tied to logic and others not.
Anyway Happy 143 Birthday, Canada! You look wonderful and are and will remain my favourite country in the world–always.
Canada Day Weather : It is NOT going to rain!
Canada Day Weather Thursday July 1, 2010
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