Locals weigh in on tax increases

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This article was published 19/04/2012 (5302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With taxes going up on everything from gas and cigarettes to tattoos and haircuts, the Brandon Sun asked local residents to weigh in on Manitoba’s 2012 budget.

“I think gas is already expensive enough,” Gordon Wright said as he filled up his tank Wednesday. “It costs an arm and a leg to fill your truck up.”

Gasoline tax will jump 2.5 cents per litre, and vehicle registration fees will rise by $35.

“As far as registration goes, I don’t think it needs to go up anymore at all. I pay probably $1,200 a year for my truck as it is, so yeah, it’s only another $35, but it’s $35 that could be in my pocket,” said Wright, who works for Crane Steel Structures.

He said the company fleet is always on the move, at various jobs across the country.

“Filling up the work truck is $150, and it’s only good for a week, two weeks at the most,” he said. “We’re usually out of town, so constantly filling the truck up.”

Meanwhile, Rev. Michael Tkachuk with St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church said the tax increase doesn’t bother him too much.

“Whether the price goes up or not, I have to buy gas because I have to go from Point A to Point B,” Tkachuk said.

Finance Minister Stan Struthers has said revenues raised from increased gas taxes and vehicle registration fees will be spent on roads and other infrastructure.

Tkachuk said that is a positive step.

“The roads do need repair,” he said. “If we don’t have enough money, I guess we’ve got to get it somewhere.”

As of July 1, the province will expand the seven per cent provincial sales tax to haircuts and hairstyling over $50, spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, tattoos and piercings.

Mickey Weselak, a tattoo artist at Adam’s Body Art, said he’s surprised the government is only adding PST now.

“I don’t mind paying taxes. I know the roads and everything come from somewhere, but they’re taking it out of us? That’s kind of odd,” Weselak said. “They let us get away with not charging PST for so long, it just seems arbitrary, that’s all.”

Regis Salon manager Amanda Racine said having no PST was “kind of a bonus.”

“We pay tax on everything anyways,” she said. “I thought it was kind of nice that we didn’t have to in this area, but it’s OK, I’m not really too worried about it affecting our sales.”

Sara Walker of Shilo had her hair done yesterday, and would have paid an extra $7 if the PST was already in effect.

“For the amount that we do spend, and the little bit that it’s going to add, I don’t think it’ll be a big deal,” Walker said. “People are still going to pay it. People are still going to come and get their hair done, they’re going to get their nails done.”

The cost of cigarettes will also be going up — by 2.5 cents per smoke.

Joey Pal of Winnipeg said the increase may cause more illegal activities.

“They shouldn’t jack up the prices because then it’s going to create higher crime rates and everything else,” Pal said.

“It’ll just create more illegal cigarettes being made. People always find a way, that’s how they are. It hurts the poor people, people on fixed incomes.”

» jaustin@brandonsun.com