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Why is Canada's economy entirely dependent on the US? The US crushes Canada on all economic fronts. The Americans are the rebels and they are more far more successful than us. That really says something profound. This hurts to think about but in order to advance we need to admit this. Why would the US want to emulate Canada? I am sick of hearing justifications for Canada's lack of innovation and inexcusable COL.
It is 12% total when you add the 5% GST federal tax which all provinces pay.
...but not on everything. Some things are GST exempt and some things are PST exempt. So sometimes it's 5 percent tax, sometimes 7 percent, and sometimes 12 percents.
That is why when BC pushed a HST on us people got pissed off. Restaurant meals for example increased by 7 percent sales tax, instead of just GST.
The people for HST, mainly businesses who found it easier, said the HST would make certain things cheaper because the tax structure etc ".
And people wonder why America's infrastructure is falling apart... when nobody wants to pay a penny for our roads and bridges and railways, and everyone wants to be a free-rider sucking off on existing public utility. The rest of the income taxes all go to a bloated military and bankrupt social security system.
Most OECD developed countries have a standardized national Value-Added Tax of on average 20%. Even China, the so-called capitalist haven, imposes a 17% VAT on most goods and services. Germany is 19%. The UK is 20%. Even Japan is realizing that it cannot keep its 8% sales tax intact and is in the process of going up to 10%.
I would not mention Canada, in general, as a shining example of great infrastructure.
We are in the Vancouver section of the forum right?? for example, BC Lower mainland freeways are a joke compared to Washington State, and I'm not talking about just on how extensive the freeway network is, after all we have more people....look at the massive infrastructure spending that is going on in WA at the moment.
Even just regular roads are inadequate in Van compared to metro Seattle.
China, on the other side, it's a poster child of wasteful infrastructure spending.
I said all Canadian provinces have sales tax - at a minimum of 5% (GST) - what's wrong with that? Alberta has no sales tax? I am sure they still have to pay 5%.
Those US states have zero sales tax, period.
No, what you said was this
"All Canada provinces have sales tax and all above 10% with one exception.
All Canada provinces have provincial income tax."
The GST is not considered a sales tax, but a value added tax. It isn't applied to all purchases.
Five states, not a a lot. Also how does the state make up the difference from states that have sales tax? They have to somehow.
Why is Canada's economy entirely dependent on the US? The US crushes Canada on all economic fronts. The Americans are the rebels and they are more far more successful than us. That really says something profound. This hurts to think about but in order to advance we need to admit this. Why would the US want to emulate Canada? I am sick of hearing justifications for Canada's lack of innovation and inexcusable COL.
We are each each other largest trading partners. It's geography that made it so. They are also TEN times larger, so of course you are going to see a larger economy.
Nothing profound about it. It doesn't make them better or Canada worse.
I would not mention Canada, in general, as a shining example of great infrastructure.
We are in the Vancouver section of the forum right?? for example, BC Lower mainland freeways are a joke compared to Washington State, and I'm not talking about just on how extensive the freeway network is, after all we have more people....look at the massive infrastructure spending that is going on in WA at the moment.
Even just regular roads are inadequate in Van compared to metro Seattle.
China, on the other side, it's a poster child of wasteful infrastructure spending.
I would not mention Canada, in general, as a shining example of great infrastructure.
We are in the Vancouver section of the forum right?? for example, BC Lower mainland freeways are a joke compared to Washington State, and I'm not talking about just on how extensive the freeway network is, after all we have more people....look at the massive infrastructure spending that is going on in WA at the moment.
Even just regular roads are inadequate in Van compared to metro Seattle.
China, on the other side, it's a poster child of wasteful infrastructure spending.
That's right. Only America has the best infrastructure in the world. So a massive freeway network is somehow proof of infrastructure prowess? Do you know how much money is needed to just maintain our current interstate network from further deterioration and how much we have right in cash balance dedicated for that purpose? Read below. Vancouver doesn't have a massive freeway because municipal by-laws have banned freeway construction in Vancouver proper since 1971.
Seattle has what in terms of rapid transit? 27 km of light rail and a fleet of trolley buses? What is this "massive" infrastructure spending that you speak of?
Vancouver already has 70 km of Skytrain rapid transit tracks under operation, with 20 km more due to open in January 2016. Its rolling stock are some of the newest and most updated in North America, with the newest fleet of Bombardier Mark III trains due for delivery next year:
In Spring of 2015, the province will also vote on a referendum for increased mass transit investments, including additional $3 billion funding for the 12 km Broadway-UBC Skytrain/Subway project.
Since you love freeways so much, here some reality check. The Department of Transportation announced complete insolvency of the U.S. Interstate Highway Trust Fund by the end of August 2014. The Highway Trust Fund cash balance has deteriorated from $10.5 billion on October 25, 2013 to a shortfall of -$1.1 billion on September 26, 2014 - a deterioration from the all-time high of $20 billion in the year 2000.
By 2020, Congressional Budget Office projects complete collapse of the of the Highway Trust Fund that has been the main source of funding for major road, highway, and mass transit infrastructure projects in America since 1956. By 2020, the current Highway Trust Fund will incur a negative cash balance of close to -$100 billion. As an American, I often wonder what got us into this horrible predicament. Watching these funding sources go dry in an unrelenting downward spiral almost feels like we are digging our own grave.
The 2012 United States Treasury report highlighted deep shortfalls in infrastructure spending across America, especially in relation to other OECD nations. Specifically:
- An estimated $85 billion annual investment over the next 20 years is necessary to bring highways and bridges to a state of good repair - a minimum of $1.7 trillion current USD - and this is excluding any new infrastructure and mass transit expansions.
- America invests less in transportation than other developed nations. We currently spend only 2 percent of GDP on transportation infrastructure, compared to 9 percent in China and 5 percent in Europe.
I would not mention Canada, in general, as a shining example of great infrastructure.
We are in the Vancouver section of the forum right?? for example, BC Lower mainland freeways are a joke compared to Washington State, and I'm not talking about just on how extensive the freeway network is, after all we have more people....look at the massive infrastructure spending that is going on in WA at the moment.
Even just regular roads are inadequate in Van compared to metro Seattle.
China, on the other side, it's a poster child of wasteful infrastructure spending.
Canada's infrastructure is not better or worse than the US (it's identical), but most European countries have much better infrastructure than both US and Canada.
Canada's infrastructure is not better or worse than the US (it's identical), but most European countries have much better infrastructure than both US and Canada.
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