Tax-free First Nations store decried in Regina

[JLM]

Collectively, we recieve about $4,500CDN annually, per person, total. That's healthcare, fire, policing, roads, utilities, etc.

You use yourself use more then that in 6 months.

Nonsense. I pay for my own health insurance. Any money I get from the government in pensions etc., I put money I earned into. I worked and paid taxes for forty odd years. The biggest part of my pension is my savings.

I had this same sort of argument with another poster yesterday and I have to admit (much to my chagrin) he made some valid points on this very matter. We are all very privileged to live in one of the richest, freest countries in the world and on average enjoy a pretty swanky standard of living. It's a being a little self centred for most of us to believe we accomplished this entirely on our own, of course there are some of us who contribute more than others but that has always been the way and I don't see it changing any time soon.

 

[#juan]

Collectively, we recieve about $4,500CDN annually, per person, total. That's healthcare, fire, policing, roads, utilities, etc.

And you receive that from the day you were born. All the nasty white guys get is Canada pension and old age pension starting at age 60 or 65 and those pensions depend on how much you have contributed. As far as Canada pension is concerned, I think I could do better by handling my own investments but I wasn't given the chance.

You use yourself use more then that in 6 months.

Yes I do, but most of what I use is from my savings and from my private pension.

I and every other still working Canadian, that will cover the excess you draw now.

I don't think so. I pay income tax on my private pension and that probably helps to offset your $4500 stipend.

Good for you. It's lucky thing you weren't born on some rez in the middle of nowhere, where education, job training and skill development was limited then eh? You lucky duck you! See I can use rhetoric to juan.

Hey. I came from a large family. I received no money from my parents. Any money I have is what I made during my life. I paid my own university tuition unlike you who get free tuition if you decide to go to college. I also supported myself while I was at university.
I don't begrudge you any money you get from the taxes we pay. Just quit bitching about it. You are lucky you get anything.

 

[Avro]

Personally I think it's time native Canadians paid their share.

 

[L Gilbert]

Personally I think it's time native Canadians paid their share.

Or else were left to their own devices. Let them develop their own healthcare, defense, governments, taxation.

 

[Avro]

Or else were left to their own devices. Let them develop their own healthcare, defense, governments, taxation.

Yep, couldn't agree more, time for them to pull up their boot straps.

 

[Cannuck]

Why do we keep baby sitting and pampering one group over other Canadians.

A couple of reasons. First, some folks feel guilty about real or perceived injustices done in the past and this helps ease their conscience. Secondly, the "aboriginal" leadership are making too damn much money off of the scam that is Indian and Northern Affairs and like to play up the real or perceived injustices to keep the guilt trip at high speed and money rolling in. Thirdly lack of personal responsibility within the aboriginal community. Most aboriginals with an ounce of integrity have walked away from the system and have made their own way. Those that don't remain to whine about "their heritage" and "their people" as if it's something that, relatively speaking, is of value to our society and must be maintained. Put it all together and you have one great big special interest group sucking off the public tit. The lot of them need to be told to run along.

 

[Cannuck]

When the Treaties favoured Non Natives, they were quite alright, in fact I would go so far as to say, if they still favoured the Non Natives, they would be still OK, with people like you.

The treaties were signed with racists. They should be torn up.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

The govt ought to end the Indian Act, over about five years or so by giving each aboriginal $15,000 for that time. Then finis.

The billions saved could be used to pay Canadians to have more kids and immigration could be lowered to 100,000 per year from 300,000.

 

[MHz]

I don't understand the reasoning for this store even existing. If it is hurting normal(tax paying)stores then it is wrong. Why do we keep baby sitting and pampering one group over other Canadians. Taxes are what is paying the seven or eight billion a year it costs the federal government to support first nations. If we want to generate more jealousy and general bad feelings, open more of these stupid stores.

Do you mean that killing off more than 90% of their people and stealing more than 99% of their land with no compensation is how it should be done. Try doing that to your nearest white neighbor and see how fast you find yourself on the losing end of a costly Court case.

BTW what taxes are applied to things that makes a Rez product cheaper than wholesale.

If fishing rights are somewhat similar then a ruling I saw last year in a conversation with Bear indicated treaty rights could not be used to get an unfair advantage over other 'commercial' fishermen. If the store had to play by those rules then it would have to apply all taxes before selling to anybody of the Rez. At the same time they should be able to build a whole mall on their land and sell day-passes (or some form of temporary membership) that would allow all non-treaty people to shop on the Rez. Anything that can be purchased off-rez should be applicable. The money gained should be taxed the same as any other business operating in that Province.
That would also mean the business close to the Rez would be more service orientated, repairs over sales. Most of the money saved would be converted into profits for the gas companies for those who travel any great distance and nobody is going to spend $20 on fuel to save $10 on smokes. Perhaps smokes and alcohol should have a sin tax applied so it is the same price everywhere.

 

[MHz]

A couple of reasons. First, some folks feel guilty about real or perceived injustices done in the past and this helps ease their conscience. Secondly, the "aboriginal" leadership are making too damn much money off of the scam that is Indian and Northern Affairs and like to play up the real or perceived injustices to keep the guilt trip at high speed and money rolling in. Thirdly lack of personal responsibility within the aboriginal community. Most aboriginals with an ounce of integrity have walked away from the system and have made their own way. Those that don't remain to whine about "their heritage" and "their people" as if it's something that, relatively speaking, is of value to our society and must be maintained. Put it all together and you have one great big special interest group sucking off the public tit. The lot of them need to be told to run along.

No doubt the leadership were set-up to operate the same way their conquerors operate, over-reward a few (at the top) and next to nothing for the rest).
The value of their heritage is that it quite possibly worked better than what 'Europe at that time' had to offer. With an honourable people when they come to your place they go by your rules and ways of doing things. With a dishonourable people the rules and ways of doing things stay with them no matter where they go. The sland word for that is prick, nobody wants them around for very long and a lot of things will get broken before they leave.
Rather than try and end the Rez we should be tripling the amount they get as long as that gets adopted outside just out country. Make it just too expensive for any Nation to hold onto what amounts to 'spoils of war'.