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Canada ditches the penny

globaltvedmonton.com

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Re: Canada ditches the penny

#61

Post by flomo »

milanst wrote: post #42
maaku wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in the US, sales tax is assessed locally, so it can vary even within a particular region. Dealing with fixed prices and additional sales tax is the only reasonable way to run a business that crosses multiple localities.

What about gas prices? The displayed price is what you actually pay, it always includes all the taxes. I guess the businesses are not required to do this for other products and naturally they choose to display the lower price, i.e. the one excluding taxes.

Probably because many people want to purchase exactly $X of gas.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#62

Post by lukeholder »

jowiar wrote: post #49

Ridiculously simple solution: Drop the hundredths place entirely. Kill pennies, nickels, quarters, bring back $.5 pieces. A tenth of a dollar is enough precision for any realistic transaction in the United States.

australia did this in 1992. git rid of the 1c and 2c coins. we have 5c pieces. currently living in the US, and I cannot stand pennies.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#63

Post by maaku »

milanst wrote: post #42
maaku wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in the US, sales tax is assessed locally, so it can vary even within a particular region. Dealing with fixed prices and additional sales tax is the only reasonable way to run a business that crosses multiple localities.

What about gas prices? The displayed price is what you actually pay, it always includes all the taxes. I guess the businesses are not required to do this for other products and naturally they choose to display the lower price, i.e. the one excluding taxes.

Gas prices vary from street to street. People expect that.

On the other hand, a cleaning product from target costs $2.99 (plus tax) no matter where I live.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#64

Post by dhughes »

dfc wrote: post #8
mmastrac wrote: post #3

This line-item is basically a smokescreen for cutting all sorts of other important things (like the research tax credit, SR&ED; various social programs; the budget for our national broadcaster, the CBC; and the salary of the Chief Electoral Officer): http://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/rjrfn/the_budget_5_b... Amusingly this particular cut was actually a private member proposal from the NDP (the left-most mainstre…

I'm not very familiar with canadian politics. Why is it amusing that the NDP proposed this?

It's difficult finding a comparison since the US only has a two-party system.

Maybe an example something like Ralph Nader suggesting something and Nixon doing it.

Or more modern George W Bush following the advice of Jon Stewart.

Anyway (the far?) right agreeing with the left is odd.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#65

Post by yay_cloud »

huggyface wrote: post #17
mmastrac wrote: post #3

This line-item is basically a smokescreen for cutting all sorts of other important things (like the research tax credit, SR&ED; various social programs; the budget for our national broadcaster, the CBC; and the salary of the Chief Electoral Officer): http://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/rjrfn/the_budget_5_b... Amusingly this particular cut was actually a private member proposal from the NDP (the left-most mainstre…

Say that it's a "smoke screen" is needlessly partisan. It is, indeed, a line item. It deals with something that has come up for consideration since the 80s . If it gets attention, it gets attention. But do you think no one notices the other changes because they're ditching the penny? That is preposterous.

It might be construed as a partisan comment, but that is exactly how politics works. After working on a few campaigns (and leaving in disgust), a politician or party will gladly pocket an easy but visible decision like this in order to "steal eyes" away from other -- less positive -- changes or events.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#66

Post by gyardley »

dhughes wrote: post #64
dfc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not very familiar with canadian politics. Why is it amusing that the NDP proposed this?

It's difficult finding a comparison since the US only has a two-party system. Maybe an example something like Ralph Nader suggesting something and Nixon doing it. Or more modern George W Bush following the advice of Jon Stewart. Anyway (the far?) right agreeing with the left is odd.

Not particularly far to the right.

Setting aside the Quebec-only Bloc, the three main parties in Canada are center-right, centrist, and center-left. They all like to claim the others are extremists, but all of them have perfectly mainstream views.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#67

Post by blahedo »

damncabbage wrote: post #59

"And some old adages will likely fade away, too." Australia hasn't had pennies since the sixties and we still use phrases like "in for a penny, in for a pound."

The US hasn't had pounds for centuries and we still use phrases like "in for a penny, in for a pound". :)

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#68

Post by maratd »

yay_cloud wrote: post #65
huggyface wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say that it's a "smoke screen" is needlessly partisan. It is, indeed, a line item. It deals with something that has come up for consideration since the 80s . If it gets attention, it gets attention. But do you think no one notices the other changes because they're ditching the penny? That is preposterous.

It might be construed as a partisan comment, but that is exactly how politics works. After working on a few campaigns (and leaving in disgust), a politician or party will gladly pocket an easy but visible decision like this in order to "steal eyes" away from other -- less positive -- changes or events.

> "steal eyes" away from other -- less positive -- changes or events.

How is cutting waste less positive? They're conservatives. They get bonus points for cutting things. Now, if they passed tax increases, then you've got a point.

Re: Canada ditches the penny

#70

Post by wisty »

huggyface wrote: post #17
mmastrac wrote: post #3

This line-item is basically a smokescreen for cutting all sorts of other important things (like the research tax credit, SR&ED; various social programs; the budget for our national broadcaster, the CBC; and the salary of the Chief Electoral Officer): http://www.reddit.com/r/canada/comments/rjrfn/the_budget_5_b... Amusingly this particular cut was actually a private member proposal from the NDP (the left-most mainstre…

Say that it's a "smoke screen" is needlessly partisan. It is, indeed, a line item. It deals with something that has come up for consideration since the 80s . If it gets attention, it gets attention. But do you think no one notices the other changes because they're ditching the penny? That is preposterous.

Memo by Jo Moore, British special adviser and press officer, 2.55pm on September 11, 2001:

> It's now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury. Councillors' expenses?

It's an extremely common practice to release unpopular information, or pass unpopular bills when something else is bound to hit the front page.

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