I think there is some justice in Leonardo Di Caprio eventually ending up as the ugly, evil and pitiable figure of Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi. At least that's what I'm going to have to tell myself once the reviewers start swooning over him (yet again) as Anakin.
Not that I thorougly enjoy paying the GST, but that's not really accurate. GST revenue in 1999-2000 was $22.8 billion (from the annual report, Ministry of Finance - http://www.fin.gc.ca/toce/2000/afr00_e.html). The total budget of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is $2.8 billion (2000-2001 Main Estimates, Treasury Board Secretariat - http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tb/estimate/20002001/E_me 00.pdf)and that's for everything; customs, income tax, corporate tax and the GST. I've no idea just how much of that they spend on collecting the GST - the figures aren't broken down that way - but there's no way they spend more to collect the tax than they bring in.
Not really. What would happen, for instance, if I bought an item from a website outside of Canada is this: to send the item to me the company I bought it from has to declare the value of the item on the package, then customs sticks on an envelope with a bill for the appropriate amount of provincial and federal sales tax before sending the item on to me. Of course, where things get hairy is when people buy things that aren't physically delivered, like a paid software download. But potentially that's not insoluble. There could be a tax treaty between Canada and the US under which each country deducts the other's sales taxes at source on purchases, avoiding this problem.
It's symbiosis, not parasitism. :-)
on
The Jungle
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· Score: 1
My experience as a union member certainly isn't like this at all. Granted, it is a different environment than most union workplaces in that it is both an office environment and in the private sector, but for that it's closer to the tech environment. People do come in early or do extra unpaid work afterward. People are recognized and promoted for special effort and strong talent. One can most certainly get fired for being late or not getting one's work done. Seniority moves you up the wage grid for your particular job (provided your last yearly evaluation was positive) and gets you a better choice of vacation time and that's about it. We're certainly not having competition problems or being priced out of the market. We're highly profitable and growing strongly. Nobody would be helped by driving the company into the ground. It's about getting a fair share of the company's success even as one contributes to it.
The most important benefit of having a union is that whatever happens, positive or negative, it's not arbitrary. Managers know that if they discipline someone for personal and not business reasons or if they put their best friend in a plum position without following a fair selection process, there will be trouble. I have much more confidence that things are being done fairly and for business reasons where I am now than I have in previous non-union workplaces I've been in. It is comforting to know that there is someone to turn to in the event of a dispute. That alone is well worth the dues, which at least in my case are fairly minimal (and tax-deductible). If for some reason I don't like what the union is doing, I don't have to vote for those people next year, I can support someone else with a different view for union executive or run myself. I have an equal say relative to everyone else there on what goes on, which is much more than can be said for what happens at the board of directors.
Just because your skills are highly valued does not mean that you will not be treated poorly where you are now, and it always is an uncertain proposition to pick up and go elsewhere. Indeed, I understand that for very highly skilled people this is becoming harder, not easier to do due to the non-competition/non-disclosure agreements that are becoming common in the technology industry. And being highly valued now does not mean it will remain so in the future. Union negotiations now are about training and educational opportunities just as much as they are about wages and working conditions. A good union can make sure you get the opportunities and resources you need to keep your skills current. That has to be the most important priority for anyone with a technical career.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, quit kvetching!
I think there is some justice in Leonardo Di Caprio eventually ending up as the ugly, evil and pitiable figure of Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi. At least that's what I'm going to have to tell myself once the reviewers start swooning over him (yet again) as Anakin.
Not that I thorougly enjoy paying the GST, but that's not really accurate. GST revenue in 1999-2000 was $22.8 billion (from the annual report, Ministry of Finance - http://www.fin.gc.ca/toce/2000/afr00_e.html). The total budget of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is $2.8 billion (2000-2001 Main Estimates, Treasury Board Secretariat - http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tb/estimate/20002001/E_me 00.pdf)and that's for everything; customs, income tax, corporate tax and the GST. I've no idea just how much of that they spend on collecting the GST - the figures aren't broken down that way - but there's no way they spend more to collect the tax than they bring in.
Not really. What would happen, for instance, if I bought an item from a website outside of Canada is this: to send the item to me the company I bought it from has to declare the value of the item on the package, then customs sticks on an envelope with a bill for the appropriate amount of provincial and federal sales tax before sending the item on to me. Of course, where things get hairy is when people buy things that aren't physically delivered, like a paid software download. But potentially that's not insoluble. There could be a tax treaty between Canada and the US under which each country deducts the other's sales taxes at source on purchases, avoiding this problem.
I'd function Catherine Zeta Jones anytime. :-)
My experience as a union member certainly isn't like this at all. Granted, it is a different environment than most union workplaces in that it is both an office environment and in the private sector, but for that it's closer to the tech environment. People do come in early or do extra unpaid work afterward. People are recognized and promoted for special effort and strong talent. One can most certainly get fired for being late or not getting one's work done. Seniority moves you up the wage grid for your particular job (provided your last yearly evaluation was positive) and gets you a better choice of vacation time and that's about it. We're certainly not having competition problems or being priced out of the market. We're highly profitable and growing strongly. Nobody would be helped by driving the company into the ground. It's about getting a fair share of the company's success even as one contributes to it. The most important benefit of having a union is that whatever happens, positive or negative, it's not arbitrary. Managers know that if they discipline someone for personal and not business reasons or if they put their best friend in a plum position without following a fair selection process, there will be trouble. I have much more confidence that things are being done fairly and for business reasons where I am now than I have in previous non-union workplaces I've been in. It is comforting to know that there is someone to turn to in the event of a dispute. That alone is well worth the dues, which at least in my case are fairly minimal (and tax-deductible). If for some reason I don't like what the union is doing, I don't have to vote for those people next year, I can support someone else with a different view for union executive or run myself. I have an equal say relative to everyone else there on what goes on, which is much more than can be said for what happens at the board of directors. Just because your skills are highly valued does not mean that you will not be treated poorly where you are now, and it always is an uncertain proposition to pick up and go elsewhere. Indeed, I understand that for very highly skilled people this is becoming harder, not easier to do due to the non-competition/non-disclosure agreements that are becoming common in the technology industry. And being highly valued now does not mean it will remain so in the future. Union negotiations now are about training and educational opportunities just as much as they are about wages and working conditions. A good union can make sure you get the opportunities and resources you need to keep your skills current. That has to be the most important priority for anyone with a technical career.