Globe and Mail: Opposition says GST ads amount to Conservative advertising

[tuvor]

OTTAWA — Canadian taxpayers are footing the bill for a $650,000 ad campaign that boasts about a one-cent cut to the GST – a campaign that opposition members say is nothing more than pre-election advertising for the Conservatives.

Radio spots that began airing on Dec. 28 and newspaper advertisements that will soon appear in small weeklies inform Canadians of the benefits they will reap as a result of the sales-tax cut that came into effect on Jan. 1.

“The government of Canada is ringing in the New Year with another tax cut. Starting January 1st, the GST will be reduced to five per cent, the second cut in less than two years,” says the radio ad.

“This means significant tax savings on most everything you buy, like a coffee, a new home, a computer or a new car. To learn more about the GST reduction, visit Canada.gc.ca or call 1-800-O-Canada. 2008 will be a less taxing year for Canadians.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080104.ad04/BNStory/Front

(What "significant tax savings"? I've "saved" about eleven cents so far. It'd be less than half that if it weren't for the generic cold medication and kleenex I just bought. Ehhh, maybe it's my fault for not buying a new house.)

[Hand]

1. Humph!

Obviously they hate Canada's New Government. Off to Flin Flon with them!

[nAtionAstray]

2. Conservative politics

I know it's a perk of the governing party to use government money, but this just seems like blatant misuse of funds.
Trying to hype something as insignificant as a 1% drop in GST up like it is something to praise them for, and using our money to tell us that what their doing is good.

I'm only 22, and I'm not sure about everyone else, but since the Conservatives have come into power I've seen a huge shift in tactics; constant attack ads against Dion, high tech "campaign" communications centre (operational at-all-times), increased grip on caucus (no pun intended!), greater control & manipulation of info available thru media...etc. I think times are changing and the Conservatives realize that a change to U.S. style politics is beneficial to them, so I'd be expecting more of this and much much worse in the future. (Remember Bush's anti-stem cell press conference, or no child left behind?)

[tuvor]

3. Welcome to DU, nAtionAstray!

Always glad to have another voice in the Canada forum.

:hi:

[glarius]

4. You may be only 22 but you've pegged the Cons. tactics exactly right!

I hope there are lots of young people who are as aware as you are of what is going on with that party. You are right. There never has been the sort of attack ads against the opposition leader, that they have launched against Dion as soon as he was elected by his party. These sort of ads were used only during election campaigns in the past. If all the young people were as informed as you are I would feel much easier about the future of this country! Welcome to DU!

[nAtionAstray]

5. Thanks for the welcome

Thx all, although I sounded singly negative against the Conservatives, I do feel the same way about the other parties (some for different reasons, some for the same), so I'm not just picking on the Cons. I've been waiting almost 5 years for a party to inspire myself or my fellow youth into a participatory role in politics, to no avail. I'm almost at the dire point of believing we have reached the "point of no return" for our society and government (not in a apocalypse-like way, but a real world slip into docile vassal-ism).
I'd like to explain more, but I'd like to make my own post, and apparently can not, yet. :shrug:

A.A.