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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-12-16, Page 4Pag0` ' lituron'Expositor •'Defer iber.16, 2009. Opinion Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11. Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK IWO les Tax :roved Surely an unreformed Ebenezer Scrooge would have approved. e of its final actsbreakingbefore for Christmas, . r ` nc itgoverninent pushed tl� tie1, better know as the 'hated sales tax } f i , l ive nates o ming the bus „,... a bre at thov expenwort tax are alma suffering under the punitive effects of the recess: While the HST is being promoted by the provincial vernment as, a way to create jobs, it is also heap- re taxa a long list of items that have never provincially bfore.�j itant a year whi food banks are seeing huge uses' the number of people who need help - inany of wht€n are employed but still can't make ends meet with their low incomes - it see that the HST and its new eight per cent addition on heaag and clergy costs will be causing even more peopleto find rinse1v rmak ng the difficult choice between a onie or a l belly. � n'k/ySc Whilethe gra eted benefits of 600,000 new jobs over the next 10 years and higher wages are being as- sumed as the; result of lower costs of doing business, sere is nothing compelling corporations to pass on;: se savings 'to either 'glair employees or consum- ers. onsul ers. Even small businesses are dreading the fact that with less disposable le in' me in their pockets, consum- ers paying the HST starting this coining July will have less to spend on goods and services. It appears that the provincial government is count- ing on the one-time $1,000 cheque per family or $300 for single person as a way to convince taxpayers to put the Liberals back in office next fall. Polls showing 75 per cent of the electorate is a.nst the tax seem to indicate otherwise. fe44#,Y'£ But, only the: ghost of Christmas -yet -to -come will know the answer to whether the HOT will be a tax.: the McGuinty government will come to regret. Susan Hundertmark 0 Ntt:” 111.11M11a Ow Comm n11fty Newspaper Since 1860 Publisher - Dave Sykes Editorial and Business Offices -11 Main Street., Seaforth Thlephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (619) 627-2858 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO Visit our home page at www. sea forthhuronexpositor. com (114.�. f1acINMIDIA QUEBCOR MEDIA "WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, THROUGH THE PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (PAP), TOWARD OUR MAILING COSTS." Quest for the ultimate lift is a tough journey with a skimpy bank account The "Season of Giving" is fi- nally here. For those of us with skimpy bank accounts, that means it's time to panic. Right off the top, I should ad- mit this: I'm one of the worst shoppers out there. With my perpetually shallow bank account, I have a history of buying cheap Christmas presents. (It's the thought that counts right?) One year, I bought my brother a can of rust remover. Another time, I re -gifted a set of coffee mugs and gave them to my mom. But I forgot to take the greeting card out of the box and she opened it and read: "Merry Christmas Dan." Last minute shopping? I'm guilty of that too. In the past, time constraints have forced me to bypass downtown shops and instead find a convenience store on the way to the Christmas party for a 90 -second shopping blitz. You can't imagine the look on a person's face when they open a gift to find a chocolate bar and Auto Trader. It's really sad, I know. r that's the perfume that Mom said she would really like for Christmas. ve Let's put 1 our money together and buy it for her. But it's really expensive. I've got years of bad gift -giving to make up for. But as I alluded to before, I'm a "recession -wary" shopper. I have been for years. Maybe homemade gifts are a better choice. They're affordable and when done right, they can be . very touching and thoughtful. But on the other hand, giving out elbow mac- aroni necklaces will only provoke pity and pos- sibly anger, so I'll need a better plan. It appears my quest for the ultimate gift will be a difficult one. Since the commercialization of Christmas began decades ago, the season has become a frenzy of consumerism, polluting the environ- ment with unnecessary products and leftover packaging. But part of the holiday is to look beyond con- sumer culture and focus on the meaningful- ness of spending time with family, giving and sharing. At least that's what I'm planning to say if somebody asks why I bought them such a junky gift. 5o what? Our Mom is worth it. It's the least we can do for her, considering all she does for us. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 38.05 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. SENIORS; - 36.14 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. Foreign: 38.05 a year in advance, plus $195.00 postage, plus G.S.T. U.S.A.: 38.05 a year in advance, plus $99.84 postage, plus G.S.T. Published weekly by Sun Media at 11 Main St., Seaforth. Advertising is accept- ed on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signa- ture, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the Toss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT 40064683 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 7605 For any non deliveries or delivery concerns please call 519-527-0240. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: Circulation Department, P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON., NOK 1 WO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association & the Ontario Community Newspapers Association Susan Hundertmark Editor seaforthnews@bowesnet.com /That'll be $25 dollars, lease. by ‘David Lacey Dan Schwab Reporter seafortheditorial owesnet.com Bernie Pugh Advertising / Office seaforth.office@bowesnet.com Maxwell Bickford Advertising Rep. seaforthads@bowesnet.com Dianne McGrath Front Office seaforthclassifieds@bowesnet.com fj 1