HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron 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
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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.
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Susan Hundertmark
Editor
seaforthnews@bowesnet.com
/That'll be
$25 dollars,
lease.
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