Harper's pulling a Clinton

[Topaz]

Harper said that when he got to the PMO, he would rid the GST when gas got above the 85 cent a litre. So when asked about this in Parliament the answer was WE DID LOWER THE GST!! So now we have a play on words and another broken promise!

[White Doors]

No, THIS is a play on words:

"I saw a saw and the saw saw me"

[sharkman]

Harper said that when he got to the PMO, he would rid the GST when gas got above the 85 cent a litre. So when asked about this in Parliament the answer was WE DID LOWER THE GST!! So now we have a play on words and another broken promise!

Would you please express yourself again, this time clearly?

[Alexandra]

Harper said that when he got to the PMO, he would rid the GST when gas got above the 85 cent a litre. So when asked about this in Parliament the answer was WE DID LOWER THE GST!! So now we have a play on words and another broken promise!

The only play on words seems to be yours. What exactly are you trying to say?

When did Harper promise to get rid of the GST on the price of gas? If that is what you are stating, that is.

?

[scribblet]

As far as I know, rather than cut gas taxes, they promised to cut the GST by two percentage points. The first cut, has already been made. The second percent is planned by 2011 at the latest.

[geoffrey]

Pulling a Clinton? Is that the new word on the street fo....

Nevermind.

I never heard this promise... perhaps a source or something???

[Michael Bluth]

Pulling a Clinton? Is that the new word on the street fo....

Showing really bad taste in the choice of PMO interns?

[Topaz]

By pulling a Clinton, I mean that Clinton lied when he said he didn't have sex with that women, when he did but his definition of sex was different from the rest of the world. Harper said he would lower the GST on gas, IF gas got over 85 cents, it been on the news. Harper is saying I did lower the GST but it was for everything and NOT gas when the price went up above the 85cent. Now Harper is claiming the price is up because of demand and the truth of the matter is the demand is the same but the refineries aren't putting out as much and the US refineries have shut some of them down for their annual cleaning causing the shortage. So the PM is blaming customers when in fact its the gas refineries causing the problem while still making a large profits for them!!!

[Michael Bluth]

Harper is saying I did lower the GST but it was for everything and NOT gas when the price went up above the 85cent.

Harper is saying *you* lowered the GST?

Are you Jim Flaherty?

Was gas specifically exempt from the GST cut? No? Then what are you talking about?

I thought the left opposed the GST cut as a tax cut for the rich. Which it isn't, but ...

Now you are whining that he didn't cut it enough?

[Shakeyhands]

Harper is saying I did lower the GST but it was for everything and NOT gas when the price went up above the 85cent.

Harper is saying *you* lowered the GST?

Are you Jim Flaherty?

Was gas specifically exempt from the GST cut? No? Then what are you talking about?

I thought the left opposed the GST cut as a tax cut for the rich. Which it isn't, but ...

Now you are whining that he didn't cut it enough?

why play silly bugger with what he typed, you know very well what he is saying.

[M.Dancer]

Haper is ceratinly going back on what he said. When Chretien was in power Harper demanded that Chretien give us tax relief on fuel........

[M.Dancer]

Last Updated: Monday, May 17, 2004 | 10:14 PM ET

CBC News

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper promised he would provide relief for motorists by eliminating the GST on gas costing more than 85 cents a litre.

"These are revenues that no one foresaw even a few months ago. We are only depriving Ottawa of a massive windfall it didn't count on and that it doesn't need," Harper said, adding that consumers would save about a penny a litre.

"The main thing is that Canadians know the government is not trying to gouge them at the same time they are having trouble filling their tank," he said. "We want to do what we can to bring taxes down."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/05/17/..._gst040517.html

That was Then

WATERLOO–Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canadians had better get used to paying high gasoline prices for a long time and not expect any help from Ottawa.

"The long-term trend on gas prices is up, it's going to be up because the long-term demand is outstripping supply," Harper said yesterday following a press conference on research and development.

Harper said it is "not our plan at the moment" to reduce the federal taxes on gasoline, despite a previous Conservative promise to do so.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/215240

This is now

[Michael Bluth]

Yes.

Things changed in three years. Attempting to hold him to that pledge when circumstances have changed SO dramatically is painful.

A one, and eventually two, point cut in the GST overall was chosen over a cut in just the GST on gas.

How much has oil gone up since Harper made that call in 2004? 40%

Did anyone vote for Harper in 2006 based on what he said in 2004 wrto cutting the GST on gas?

What are your options? Vote Liberal, the party that plans to RAISE the GST?

[Shakeyhands]

Yes.

Things changed in three years. Attempting to hold him to that pledge when circumstances have changed SO dramatically is painful.

A one, and eventually two, point cut in the GST overall was chosen over a cut in just the GST on gas.

How much has oil gone up since Harper made that call in 2004? 40%

Did anyone vote for Harper in 2006 based on what he said in 2004 wrto cutting the GST on gas?

What are your options? Vote Liberal, the party that plans to RAISE the GST?

What things have changed dramatically?

Your last line sickens me.

[noahbody]

If you really want to try to tar and feather Harper, you should say he is pulling a Chretien.

[M.Dancer]

Yes.

Things changed in three years. Attempting to hold him to that pledge when circumstances have changed SO dramatically is painful.

A one, and eventually two, point cut in the GST overall was chosen over a cut in just the GST on gas.

How much has oil gone up since Harper made that call in 2004? 40%

Did anyone vote for Harper in 2006 based on what he said in 2004 wrto cutting the GST on gas?

What are your options? Vote Liberal, the party that plans to RAISE the GST?

Are you saying that what was a massive windfall for the Gov't at .85 cents isn't a massive windfall at $1.10

[M.Dancer]

Lets see....gas right now in the Capital of Ontario is $1.10 a litre....

At a 1.00 per litre, governments collect an average of .32 cents.......

The governments position

Moreover, even a substantial reduction in federal taxes on fuel would have only a small impact on pump prices. This is due to the fact that high gas prices are less a result of taxes than of recent substantial increases in the world price of crude oil.

Agree or disagree....?

[noahbody]

Lets see....gas right now in the Capital of Ontario is $1.10 a litre....

At a 1.00 per litre, governments collect an average of .32 cents.......

The governments position

Moreover, even a substantial reduction in federal taxes on fuel would have only a small impact on pump prices. This is due to the fact that high gas prices are less a result of taxes than of recent substantial increases in the world price of crude oil.

Agree or disagree....?

.32 cents is the combined provincial and federal take.

As far as reducing taxes at the pump, liberals should be against this for the same reason they were against the lowering of the GST. They should promote further income tax cuts as the alternative.

[Who's Doing What?]

.32 cents is the combined provincial and federal take.

As far as reducing taxes at the pump, liberals should be against this for the same reason they were against the lowering of the GST. They should promote further income tax cuts as the alternative.

Then give us the freaking tax cuts!!!!

Oh wait they can't. The CPC has pissed away billions on their "every poor child left behind" policy of simulated daycare. Not to mention the hundreds of millions thrown at Quebec to buy votes. How about giving Arar $10 million. I bet he doesn't care about gas prices anymore. Or all the money left in the Good ole US of A over the soft wood lumber fiasco. It's a damn shame there isn't a decent alternative right now. Although even the dirty lying, stealing, cheating, liberals cost us less money.

[Keepitsimple]

Last Updated: Monday, May 17, 2004 | 10:14 PM ET

CBC News

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper promised he would provide relief for motorists by eliminating the GST on gas costing more than 85 cents a litre.

"These are revenues that no one foresaw even a few months ago. We are only depriving Ottawa of a massive windfall it didn't count on and that it doesn't need," Harper said, adding that consumers would save about a penny a litre.

"The main thing is that Canadians know the government is not trying to gouge them at the same time they are having trouble filling their tank," he said. "We want to do what we can to bring taxes down."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/05/17/..._gst040517.html

That was Then

WATERLOO–Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canadians had better get used to paying high gasoline prices for a long time and not expect any help from Ottawa.

"The long-term trend on gas prices is up, it's going to be up because the long-term demand is outstripping supply," Harper said yesterday following a press conference on research and development.

Harper said it is "not our plan at the moment" to reduce the federal taxes on gasoline, despite a previous Conservative promise to do so.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/215240

This is now

I don't understand where you see a conflict. The promise of eliminating the GST when gas got over 85 cents was made in the 2004 election - which the Conservatives lost. At that time they were NOT promising to reduce the overall GST to 6%. Fast forward to the 2005 election and not surprisingly, the Conservatives have a new platform in which they promise to reduce the overall GST and make NO promise with regards to GST on gas over 85 cents.

[M.Dancer]

I don't understand where you see a conflict. The promise of eliminating the GST when gas got over 85 cents was made in the 2004 election - which the Conservatives lost. At that time they were NOT promising to reduce the overall GST to 6%. Fast forward to the 2005 election and not surprisingly, the Conservatives have a new platform in which they promise to reduce the overall GST and make NO promise with regards to GST on gas over 85 cents.

I guess because I see a big difference between the words ELIMINATE and REDUCE.......

The 1% redution was just a ploy to con the suckers.

[noahbody]

Then give us the freaking tax cuts!!!!

Oh wait they can't. The CPC has pissed away billions on their "every poor child left behind" policy of simulated daycare. Not to mention the hundreds of millions thrown at Quebec to buy votes. How about giving Arar $10 million. I bet he doesn't care about gas prices anymore. Or all the money left in the Good ole US of A over the soft wood lumber fiasco. It's a damn shame there isn't a decent alternative right now. Although even the dirty lying, stealing, cheating, liberals cost us less money.

I'm all for tax cuts as well. The deficit tax on gasoline should definitely be gone. I agree they've pissed away a lot of money. A lot of this due to them not governing as if they have a majority.

Still they are the best option out there. The Liberals would cost the country far more meeting Kyoto and trying to implement a universal daycare program. Next to that the childcare payments look pretty good, and they are putting money back into people's pockets, fairly. I wasn't a big fan at throwing money at Quebec or Arar. He should have got nothing, especially when he drew suspicion to himself, forgetting a terrorist had signed his lease application. Soft wood was positive from a business standpoint. Generally you can only expect to recoup 60% of a bad debt. The agreement also stopped wasting money in the court system and getting lawyers rich.

Getting rid of the long gun registry would make room for a tax break. Too bad that one has been politicized considering it accomplishes nothing.

[Keepitsimple]

I don't understand where you see a conflict. The promise of eliminating the GST when gas got over 85 cents was made in the 2004 election - which the Conservatives lost. At that time they were NOT promising to reduce the overall GST to 6%. Fast forward to the 2005 election and not surprisingly, the Conservatives have a new platform in which they promise to reduce the overall GST and make NO promise with regards to GST on gas over 85 cents.

I guess because I see a big difference between the words ELIMINATE and REDUCE.......

The 1% redution was just a ploy to con the suckers.

Let's do our math here. Let's assume that the GST was still 7%. If gas is $1.10 - like today when I filled up, you'd pay 7% GST on $1.10 or 7.7 cents. If GST is "eliminated" when a litre is over 85 cents, you'd still pay 7% GST on the 85 cents - that's about 6 cents. You wouldn't pay GST on the remaining 25 cents. But wait - the GST was cut to 6% so the GST for that entire $1.10 is 6.6 cents. So if we used the over 85 cent rule, you'd save .6 cents (that's six-tenths of a penny) on each litre. If you fill up with 50 litres, you would save about 30 cents on your $55 purchase - and that's using $1.10 as the price. So again, it's a partisan tempest in a teapot. What would you rather have - a policy that saves you 30 cents only when you fill up your tank...or a policy that saves you about one percent on every dollar of every GST eligible purchase - including gasoline? You see, when you get partisanship out of the way and look at things pragmatically, it's amazing what you can discover.

[madmax]

Yes.

Things changed in three years. Attempting to hold him to that pledge when circumstances have changed SO dramatically is painful.

A one, and eventually two, point cut in the GST overall was chosen over a cut in just the GST on gas.

How much has oil gone up since Harper made that call in 2004? 40%

Did anyone vote for Harper in 2006 based on what he said in 2004 wrto cutting the GST on gas?

The GST on Gas is a Tax on a Tax.

[geoffrey]

Funny how all the Kyoto people are upset about $1.30 gas.

Oh it has just begun Greenies, it has just begun.