I am beginning to feel like the hero in the movie Popeye when confronted with the taxman at every turn.
Paying for my bargain $8.77 replacement toaster, I was astounded to find the total price was $12.35.
As of Oct. 1, anything that is plugged in, in addition to the regular 12 per cent HST, is subject to a provincial environmental fee of $2.25, which is also HST taxed.
So, the total tax, and it is a tax, on that toaster is not 12 per cent, but a whopping 41 per cent. And before you think this is an isolated example of government opportunism, start looking at your energy bills.
Even in the coldest months, the cost of my actual gas consumption, which is double-billed as "midstream" and "cost of gas" on my Fortis bill, is far less than half the total bill. (In the summer, it is 10 per cent of the bill.) The rest goes to the basic charge, delivery charge, franchise fee, carbon tax, and HST.
The carbon tax increased 33 per cent on July 1, 2010 and 25 per cent on July 1, 2011. In contrast, my OAS and CPP increased 1.6 per cent in July, 2011. Guess we have to pay for the HST fiasco somehow.
Lynda Zorn,
Kelowna