I’m currently checking out ING Direct, I believe they have no NSF fees, that would save me at least $40 a year. Plus I’m sure their Customer Service is better, you’d have to reach through the phone and slap me in the face to be any worse.

With regards to the Canadian income tax system. I would like to know why a parent is not entitled to claim the full basic personal amount for a child that they are supporting. Is that amount not what the government has decided is the ‘minimum necessary’ to sustain life, therefore your income on that amount is not taxed. How is it less to support a child? If anything it’s more. My daughter’s first year in daycare cost us $15,400 in AFTER TAX income. Only $6,000 of that was tax deductible. Granted we live in Toronto where childcare is very expensive and very hard to find but that was in a non-profit centre. Who sets the arbitrary maximum on childcare expenses? If your child attends a non-profit and you have the receipts, then you should be able to claim the full expenses.

Okay, that was really two peeves but both child related.

If anyone actually thinks HST will cause lower prices, well I have a bridge for sale.

And your an idiot too.

No wonder gov’t can raise taxes. Nobody minds them!

For the record I hate HST, and used item sales tax. It was already paid.

Land transfer tax is another peeve. Nevermind double dipping it is forever dipping with no value received what so ever.

ANyway I have a show to tape.

Dave

Till then,

Jean

That’s why eBay, Kijijji, Craigslist, and my office buy and sell pages will always be the first places I check for things I need.

Fees are a close second!

1. Delays with bank transactions are fundamentally wrong. We live in a computer era! All transactions must be instantaneous, plain and simple, not 5 to 10 business days or so.

2. Impossibility to easily transfer money between banks is very annoying. Same reasons.

Fees? I do not understand why people pay them. PC Financial is great.

Businesses in Canada don’t compete with each other; they behave like oligopolies and work with each other. Bell, Rogers, Telus …. the banks … there are several examples. See what’s happening when there was a semblance of real competition showing up in the telecom landscape (Globalive)

So, let’s not delude ourselves. There is no competition here.

when i buy used cars from anyone but a dealer [ie. private transaction] i never pay sales tax; you must be speaking of provincial sales tax, because GST is not applicable, and i cannot speak of provincial sales tax because Alberta doesn’t have one [yet...]

pay the $1.00 per month and unlist your phone number, it will greatly reduce the phone calls. then use call blocker, it also works. never, ever, ever reveal your SIN, or what you make to anyone that does not require it [your financial institution, credit applications]… not for surveys, travel agents, coupon distributors…no one. i give a wrong postal code when asked at a retailer.

never use a car dealer to service your car…private industry does equal if not better work for less money. ie. my recent private ‘winterizing’ of my vehicle cost me $69+GST…’my’ dealer wanted…wait for it….$154.95+GST. nice. not going to happen.

mutual funds of any ilk are for suckers. there are much better places to put your money. never, ever, ever use a bank ‘investment’ advisor…inherent and blatant conflict of interest. use a fee for service CFP or investment strategist. you will get better service and much better returns. if you pay more than $9.95 for each transaction, you are getting fleeced.

cell phones…always pay as you go.

one last one: we SHOULD pay much much more for water, then we would value it more.

interesting topic.

The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers’ Sales Tax (MST); however, (based on what I have read anyway) the hidden tax was simply reclaimed by those companies as profit and then they added the 7% GST on top.

HST appears to me to be a cash grab pure and simple. The argument that will simplify things is already being shown to be untrue as the government is creating a gazillion and one (slight hyperbole) exceptions.

One of my financial pet peeves relates somewhat. I hate poor customer service. I don’t agree with an upset customer lashing out at an employee, but I do expect that if I spend in your store and the product is faulty you will do your best to satisfy me, the customer. I will return to your store if I am treated with that respect, even if in the end I don’t entirely get the product I wanted. PC is one of those virtual banks whom whenever I have spoken to a representative he/she has treated me with great respect and a desire to serve my needs. RBC, on the other hand, was always rude and seemed to care less if I continued with them or not.

One more pet peeve. Telemarketers who somehow get ahold of my spending habits and/or my salary figure. The assumption that because I am in a particular pay bracket I will gladly spend on endless products is insulting. I use to average two telemarketer calls a day. After signing up online I was able to reduce that number, but I still get harassed too often. I am the type of person who buys when I need something and I don’t like a business company (with making a profit being on their mind) telling me what I think I need.

I guess my general peeve is anyone who increases margin through fees.