HerdVille
Yesterday, we noted the BC Liberal government caucus' baseless (some are calling it libelous) smear of Opposition member David Eby in attempt to deflector spike-spin his rising approval ratings in the wake of their cynical (geographically) limited foreign buyer housing tax.
Well.
It turns out that the caucus division of the Wizards of Clarklandia (who are being paid by you and me) didn't stop there. They also falsely characterized the NDP's longstanding (and long-called for) suggestion about how to slowly deflate the bubble without unfairly whacking anyone...
Interestingly, and potentially importantly, a single proMedia outlet has called this codswallop out for what it is.
The following is from a piece written by Martin MacMahon posted on the CKWX 1130 website:
...In separate Tweets, the BC Liberal Caucus appears to mischaracterize the proposed NDP speculation tax as one that would apply to all home buyers.
“Which is a lie, right? At the very least, it’s an extremely misleading statement,” says (political scientist David) Moscrop. “Everybody knows that there’s going to have to be some sort of taxation measure that’s levelled to start dealing with this. Either that, or there’s going to be a crash. I mean, there could be a suite of things, but taxes are definitely on the table for this. That’s not what the NDP was proposing, whatever side you’re on.”....
Why is the inclusion of the word 'lie' important in a local proMedia story important?
Because, unless our local proMedia herd turns, hard and starts calling the BC Liberals out for their lies, fabrications and misleading mischaracterizations, long and hard, we could well find ourselves with the same government this time next year.
OK?
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One small thing bugged me in Mr. MacMahon's otherwise excellent piece...Which is that he let a little bit of 'both sides do it' - type stuff sneak in at the end. That is not a good thing because it allows the dye-filled false equivalency boats to start floating which can be a real problem in the end (and is something truly cynical Wizards count on to muddy all waters).
.
6 comments:
This is going to be interesting...BC's store bought media have been running hard tooting and touting Christy Clark's horns(devil horns)...As in 80% plus in polling approve of the foreign buyer tax...a big number..
Here's another number..$millions, maybe even $billions...
That's what this illegal tax may cost Canadian taxpayers...
Foreign buyers are also Americans, Mexicans, even Vietnam...We have trade agreements...
The 15% tax is illegal under NAFTA...no persons will have to pay the tax...you can't charge Americans or Mexicans a 15% foreign buyer tax..
You can levy the tax against Chinese foreign buyers, however, first you must shred the previous legislation and draft anew..
Will the BC Liberals bring in new taxation legislation targeting only Chinese foreign buyers..not a chance, it would be racist, appear racist..
NAFTA challenge is coming...
http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/barry-appleton-b-c-just-violated-nafta-with-its-foreign-property-tax-and-we-could-all-pay-for-it
Vancouver Sun..Province..CKNW...no one reported the story in the Financial Post...I managed to get on air with Simi Sara(today) and told her about the article, I also tweeted Jon McComb..and others...
No B.C. media reported the story domestically...
Mr. K...
Ministers don't draft legislation, especially taxation legislation, lawyers draft legislation and ministers sign off on it...
There is no way in hell the BC Liberals didn't know the taxation legislation is illegal, BC Liberals were also told the 15% taxation legislation will be voided...
However...The BC Liberals thought they could avoid the legislation reckoning for months, ..uh uh, legislation is dead...
Any monies collected will be returned...
Do you think the BC Liberal Government will re-write legislation...with the new legislation stating that Chinese foreign buyers will have to pay a 15% tax?
not a chance...
This debacle is about to get punted to post 2017 election..
Cheers
From the article......
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"The British Columbia government has suddenly introduced a penalty tax forcing non-Canadian purchasers of residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Regional District to pay a 15 per cent tax on all purchases registered from Aug. 2, 2016. This penalty tax discriminates by definition against foreign investors buying residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Area: Canadian citizens buying residential real estate are exempt; foreign buyers must pay the tax....
That discrimination is a glaring violation of our trade treaties. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other Canadian trade agreements prohibit governments from imposing discriminatory policies that punish foreigners while exempting locals. NAFTA’s national treatment obligation requires that citizens from other NAFTA partners investing in B.C. receive the same treatment from the government as the very best treatment received by Canadian investors. Americans and Mexicans forced to pay the 15 per cent penalty tax would be able to pursue direct compensation for B.C.’s discriminatory tax from an independent international tribunal....
Canada has other treaties with similar protections for citizens and businesses with other trading partners. We have agreements with similar terms with: Argentina, Armenia, Barbados, Benin, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Hungary, Jordan. Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tanzania, Thailand Uruguay, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Investors from those states might also potentially challenge the B.C. tax. While the vast majority of Vancouver’s foreign property buyers might be Chinese, who were apparently the provincial government’s main target, enough investors from our dozens of treaty partners, comprising of hundreds of affected foreigners with trade rights, could be caught up in this tax, leading to mass claims. Those claims would be against the Canadian government, the signatory to NAFTA and the other international trade treaties, not B.C. Canadian taxpayers could be on the hook for hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars"
http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/barry-appleton-b-c-just-violated-nafta-with-its-foreign-property-tax-and-we-could-all-pay-for-it
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Ok...BC Liberals can bring forth new legislation exempting foreign nationals from all those countries...
Can you say Chinese Head Tax?
BC Liberals knew the legislation is/was flawed...
insider informer tells me...
The real big players/buyers(Chinese)..have been personally informed that they don't have to pay any new tax...
All a shell game designed to soothe the savages(BCers)
Cheers Ears Wide Open
Vaughn Palmer: Bruised MLA wins lawsuit for nasty campaign defamation
"The accusation against New Democrat Robin Austin in the midst of the last election campaign was outrageous, even by the roughhouse standards of political discourse in this province."
“Before proceeding any further,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Punnett wrote, “I wish to make clear that the words spoken were unfounded, unjustified and false. There was no basis for them whatsoever.”
http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/vaughn-palmer-bruised-mla-wins-lawsuit-for-nasty-campaign-defamation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/terrace-rob-austin-defamation-1.3690141
A real estate piece on CBC BC just released this morning. No doubt in response to the Angus Reid poll conducted between July 26 - 28 and released yesterday. Now the BC Liberals are saying that they had been planning action since Jan (even when they apposed doing anything). Thing is... they released this sob story on the wrong weekend. And most think there will be loop holes. All people see is inaction - and not just this year - this should have been done a while ago. So it either does nothing and people are mad or it essentially starts a downturn in equity. Either way the Liberals did this to themselves.
I wonder if they know Eby is a lawyer...Eby has been in the spot light for many years and has been consistent - no scandals just good ethics and integrity. And in an economic downturn that means a lot as people look for change to restart the economy - hence the NDP being elected into a traditionally PC landscape.
Oil spill in Sask shows the consequences of pipe line spills on drinking water.
The carpet is too small and the ooze is starting to seep out.
Releasing this on the long weekend - when most are camping on the side of the road (due to lack of and current expense of camping as more stay cations occur as high housing costs are tapping people financially) shows desperation on the Clark team. Financial hardships is a hard sentiment to change as people are reminded daily and Clark is coming out and saying don't worry everything is all right...hence why most are turning their backs on Clark and the rest of the entrenched gang. Funny thin...this happened on the heels of the Clinton's rebranding 'Most Americans don't really know who I am' strategy.
All the Young liberals must be working overtime this weekend - the public service is full of young liberal yes men/women (some don't know any better).
anon 11:27 referred to this ... I think
Analysis
Christy Clark's big risk with Foreign Home Buyers tax
B.C. premier implements 15 per cent tax after rejecting home affordability taxes in the past - by Richard Zussman, CBC News Posted: Jul 30, 2016.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/christy-clark-takes-on-big-risk-with-foreign-home-buyers-tax-1.3701164
https://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/2016/07/07/citizenship-for-sale/?hootPostID=a54ef4724211bfe0689a6a00e16ac085
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