Where's all the Montreal $ come from? (sales, unemployment, to buy)
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Just got back from a weekend in Montreal. As before, I've noticed the city has a higher than usual number of exotic/uber expensive cars. In less than 24 hours, I noticed five Bentley Continentals (three convertibles and two coupes), one Lamborghini and too many Porches to count. This was during particularly crappy weather too, and on nicer days I've seen many more high dollar cars - way more than in Boston, on average.
At the same time, Quebec has the highest tax rate in Canada by far. It's so much that way that I bet very few people driving those cars (if any) came to Montreal with nothing and worked their way up through a regular job, losing more than half of it to the government every year in the process. It just doesn't seem possible to start from the bottom and earn (and keep) that kind of money, at least not while working for someone else, anyway.
So how do those Montrealers do it? Is it old family money or is it neuvaux riche making their money elsewhere and finding ways to avoid the oppressive tax rates?
What's the big money industry in Montreal, anyway? Is it finance? Minerals? Shipping?
There is quite a bit of old money in Montreal. Some of it locally/nationally acquired in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Much of the westward expansion and development of Canada was planned and managed from Montreal during those periods.
Also, it is a little-known fact that some members of European aristocracies moved to Montreal at various points in the first half of the 20th century when things got rough overseas. Some of their descendants are still in Montreal. I saw a news report about this community a few years ago. So these are some explanations.
Come to the Toronto area, you'll see a lot less econoboxes/compact cars and a hell of a lot more high-end ones.
Not sure if it is directly related to taxation but yeah, Quebec on average has no equal in North America when it comes to the prevalence of smaller cars.
But I still think that, with a few exceptions, Montreal has more of the spectacular cars (of the variety described by the OP) than most other North American cities, even ones that are larger like Toronto I'd say.
This is more a question of personality and culture than money. (Of which Toronto has more than Montreal it is true.) People in Quebec just like flashier stuff.
So yeah, in Toronto you are more likely to see a Lexus in an average driveway, whereas in Montreal it'll be more like a Honda Civic.
But in Montreal the sea of smaller cars will be peppered with the odd Ferrari or Alfa Romeo much more often than the sea of sensible luxury vehicles (Lexus, Lincoln, etc.) will be in Toronto.
I don't agree with this statement and am half quebecois myself but someone told me once that Quebec is like New Jersey in French if that helps explain the mentality with the flashy Real Housewives-esque lifestyles, bad stripey dye jobs on the women, plethora of cheetah print outfits
I did notice the number of cheap cars (like the Yaris, the Smart, etc.) and figured it was a reflection of what regular folks are forced into, thanks to the confiscatory tax rates. A friggin' combined sales tax of 14% on top of it all - holy crap!
When you combine the anti-Anglophone mentality, the political situation and the tax rates, I get the feeling Quebecs best days are behind it. Kind of sad but kind of the case with most places French speaking, unfortunately.
When you combine the anti-Anglophone mentality, the political situation and the tax rates, I get the feeling Quebecs best days are behind it. Kind of sad but kind of the case with most places French speaking, unfortunately.
.....Except maybe for Monaco and Switzerland.
And yet... the economic situation in Quebec is better than it's ever been. Unemployment is close to historic lows, the prosperity gap between Quebec and the rest of Canada and even North America has narrowed significantly (it is even gone or in Quebec's advantage if you factor in the overall lower cost of living in Quebec) and poverty rates are lower than ever as well.
I did notice the number of cheap cars (like the Yaris, the Smart, etc.) and figured it was a reflection of what regular folks are forced into, thanks to the confiscatory tax rates. A friggin' combined sales tax of 14% on top of it all - holy crap!
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Except for Alberta, sales taxes are not much lower (generally in the 13% range) in the other Canadian provinces, and in some cases (PEI, NS) they are even higher.
In any event, taxes aren't the only thing you have to pay in life. I wouldn't want to live in a place where taxes are super-low but a crappy three-bedroom bungalow costs 2 million dollars. Would you?
I know that people look at the taxes in Quebec, but they are only part of the picture. Overall, Quebec is a fairly low-cost place to live, mainly due to the affordability of housing.
Saying that no one can afford to live in a particular place by citing the impact of taxation on one's ability to buy a large vehicle is about as intellectual to linking its livability to the price of beer.
Now, some people (like VirtualAmerican) may have personal objections to Quebec taxation policies, chiefly for ideological reasons, and that is perfectly fine. We can have that debate.
But let's not portray things here for what they are not. On an everyday level, Quebec is on all accounts a very livable place. It may not be to everyone's taste, but then again neither is Houston, Texas.
Exactly - you will make more money in Houston, can buy a much larger home, pay much less in taxes, and have access to far cheaper consumer goods but....you have to live in Houston :-D
But I still think that, with a few exceptions, Montreal has more of the spectacular cars (of the variety described by the OP) than most other North American cities, even ones that are larger like Toronto I'd say.
This is more a question of personality and culture than money. (Of which Toronto has more than Montreal it is true.) People in Quebec just like flashier stuff.
So yeah, in Toronto you are more likely to see a Lexus in an average driveway, whereas in Montreal it'll be more like a Honda Civic.
But in Montreal the sea of smaller cars will be peppered with the odd Ferrari or Alfa Romeo much more often than the sea of sensible luxury vehicles (Lexus, Lincoln, etc.) will be in Toronto.
But I still notice all the Cadillacs - I drive one!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
And yet... the economic situation in Quebec is better than it's ever been. Unemployment is close to historic lows, the prosperity gap between Quebec and the rest of Canada and even North America has narrowed significantly (it is even gone or in Quebec's advantage if you factor in the overall lower cost of living in Quebec) and poverty rates are lower than ever as well.
I know that people look at the taxes in Quebec, but they are only part of the picture. Overall, Quebec is a fairly low-cost place to live, mainly due to the affordability of housing.
Saying that no one can afford to live in a particular place by citing the impact of taxation on one's ability to buy a large vehicle is about as intellectual to linking its livability to the price of beer.
Now, some people (like VirtualAmerican) may have personal objections to Quebec taxation policies, chiefly for ideological reasons, and that is perfectly fine. We can have that debate.
But let's not portray things here for what they are not. On an everyday level, Quebec is on all accounts a very livable place. It may not be to everyone's taste, but then again neither is Houston, Texas.
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Did you not notice the extremely high number of econoboxes/compact cars on the road? 
