Alberta unemployment highest since 94

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by Xtrema


What I wont' stick it on NDP:

- Oil price and cap investment. Doesn't matter who is in charge it ain't coming back.
- Carbon tax, we need something. If not sales tax or health care premium, this sounds good.
- Minimum wage, it's gonna suck for it's kinda sad that starting wage of the same job that i was doing 20 years ago is only paying 10% more than I what I got paid then. There will be less job because of this but it will promote automation and efficiency and spawn another industry out of it.

What I will stick it to NDP:

- electricity contract, enact policy without reading fine print of contracts. And then go to court to fight for their fuck ups with an end game that nobody wins and affecting one of the safest employed sector.

The carbon tax won't be used to balance the budget. They are going to give it away to businesses of their choosing in the form of subsidies.

[blownz]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer


The carbon tax won't be used to balance the budget. They are going to give it away to businesses of their choosing in the form of subsidies.

Don't forget is is also for taking more money from the "rich" and giving it to the "poor"...

[Sugarphreak]

...

[mzdspd]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Speaking of which... is it legal to deny someone a job they are qualified for and you haven't filled? If you get ahold of them and say "sorry, we filled the position with someone else" or "your just not the right fit for the company", but then they don't actually fill the position, is that ok? Just curious.

It depends on the industry.. My girlfriend works for the Gov in HR and she said that they have to hire the best qualified for the job. It has got to do with ethics because the applicants can challenge you so they have to prove why you were not hired. Also, if applicants are not properly qualified, then they redo the application process.

However, if you apply and you are overqualified, they will submit you for positions that you are actually qualified for (if other positions are available).

Also, she says its amazing how many people do not have cover letters and spelling errors, so double check, double check, double check!!

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Um, because I am curious? You aren't allowed to discriminate based on XYZ right, why would you be allowed to discriminate based on "too good of an employee"?

Honest question.

You're allowed to discriminate on a lot of things. Hell you can ask for pictures along with resumes.

These 11 grounds are protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act:

race
national or ethnic origin
colour
religion
age
sex
sexual orientation
marital status
family status
disability
a conviction for which a pardon has been granted or a record suspended.

Otherwise you are free to discriminate to your hearts content.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


A.K.A.

Penalizing the most productive members of society for their contribution of skills and services, and then rewarding those who do the least by enabling them to mooch even more off the system

Yah socialism!

All the new BS taxes are going to play a key role in my decision making process if this US work comes around for me. I'll work in the US and not pay Canadian taxes, screw them out of tens of thousands in revenue.

[blownz]

^ worse is the big multi-national companies that have the ability to easily move profits from one country to another. I know of one specifically in AB that before the 20% increase in corporate taxes didn't have to pay for any "head office" charges like IT, Accounting, Execs in the US, but suddenly they were hit with large intercompany charges and will never make a profit in AB again.

That one company alone will have a 7 figure impact on provincial tax revenue. But don't worry, the NDP is sticking it to the local companies and the rest of the rich so the province will be fine...

[Feruk]

Originally posted by blownz
^ worse is the big multi-national companies that have the ability to easily move profits from one country to another. I know of one specifically in AB that before the 20% increase in corporate taxes didn't have to pay for any "head office" charges like IT, Accounting, Execs in the US, but suddenly they were hit with large intercompany charges and will never make a profit in AB again.

How does a 1% increase in corporate taxes suddenly make them unprofitable? Intercompany charges? What do you mean by that? I'm curious as I hadn't heard anything like that before.

[jonsey737]

Originally posted by 403Gemini

Additionally for small businesses, it's tough to choke down the wage hike. What's min wage? $11.20 right now? It's jumping up to $15. If you own a restaurant, and have 40~ staff members right now running the kitchen, servers, hostesses, etc. You now have to give them all $3.80 more an hour. For a staff member that works 40 hours a week, that's $7900 more a year per employee. Multiply that by 40 employees, your company now needs to bring in $316,000+ more a year in revenue. If you increase your prices as a small business, you are no longer competitive and will lose customers, ergo going out of businesses. The only other option is cutting back hours or laying off staff... or a combination of both.

Everyone will have to play under the new minimum wage rules so won't every business have to raise prices to make up the additional revenue?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[FraserB]

Originally posted by jonsey737


Everyone will have to play under the new minimum wage rules so won't every business have to raise prices to make up the additional revenue?

The people who will get hit hardest by this are those who will make minimum wage in a setting where they also receive tips.

Once pay goes up a few dollars and menu prices follow, tips will crash. It's already happening to some extent, but servers would be foolish to think that they will be getting close to 20% once the changes fully take effect.

If anything, their take home will actually go down even if their base wage goes up.

[guessboi]

^ +1 and tips tend to be an unreported tax free income.

[Antonito]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


There is usually a fairly precise statistical sliding scale of price & sales for each business... for example; if your prices goes up, normally the number of regular customers drops; if your prices goes down, then you can expect an increase in customers. At the extreme upper side of price, you have almost no customers, and at the very low end of price you have tons of customers, but you make no money because of your costs.

If you are good at business, you set your prices to optimize revenue

Forcing companies to raise prices will probably result in less optimization, which means now they are earning less, while paying out more. It is kind of a double whammy. A lot of companies will have to change their business model (less employees, cheaper products, targeting a new demographic of customer... etc) or risk becoming unprofitable and going under.

You're neglecting the extra purchasing power of all the people making anywhere near minimum wage. At that wage level every dime goes back into the local economy, which should offset any loss of customers based on a single digit percentage increase in prices for low end purchases

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by FraserB


The people who will get hit hardest by this are those who will make minimum wage in a setting where they also receive tips.

Once pay goes up a few dollars and menu prices follow, tips will crash. It's already happening to some extent, but servers would be foolish to think that they will be getting close to 20% once the changes fully take effect.

If anything, their take home will actually go down even if their base wage goes up.

Once minimum wage hits $15, I'm never tipping again. Tipping will be for STELLAR service only. And something like 10%

[jonsey737]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Once minimum wage hits $15, I'm never tipping again. Tipping will be for STELLAR service only. And something like 10%

Kinda takes the incentive to work as a server when you could make the same at McDonalds.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak




If you are good at business, you set your prices to optimize revenue

Forcing companies to raise prices will probably result in less optimization, which means now they are earning less, while paying out more. It is kind of a double whammy. A lot of companies will have to change their business model (less employees, cheaper products, targeting a new demographic of customer... etc) or risk becoming unprofitable and going under.

Really though, in regards to this point, a business is constantly having the to revise themselves to optimize profit based on many contributing factors it could be cost of goods increases, shipping cost increases, lease increases, newer equipment and updating increases, and so on. Salary increases are just a small drop in a big bucket full of drops when it comes to optimization of profit vs customer levels...

I am not saying we business owner don't care about increases at all of course, but we all have to adapt and if you can't, well less competition for me...

[blownz]

Originally posted by Feruk

How does a 1% increase in corporate taxes suddenly make them unprofitable? Intercompany charges? What do you mean by that? I'm curious as I hadn't heard anything like that before.

So say a company used to pay $1,000,000 in AB provincial taxes. Rate went from 10% to 12% so now they have to pay $1,200,000. Now that doesn't make them unprofitable but large companies always have intercompany charges for things like "head office charges". So if I have a company head office in a state with high taxes and an office in AB at lower taxes, it is in my best interest to charge AB as little as possible so they make more profit and vs the state with the higher tax rate.

But now with a 20% increase in taxes in AB, it may now be higher then the state with the head office. So now the head office "charges" the AB office for IT support, Accounting, Legal, etc to the point the AB office no longer makes any money and pays zero tax. If you have a corporate office in the US with a high 8 figure budget, it is easy to move some costs and companies will do this all the time.

[SkiBum5.0]

Originally posted by Feruk

How does a 1% increase in corporate taxes suddenly make them unprofitable? Intercompany charges? What do you mean by that? I'm curious as I hadn't heard anything like that before.

Happens in many large, multi-nationals. Satellite offices pay a portion of overhead items such as R&D, Exec Pay, Back Office support such as HR, Finance etc. Usually there is a rate set based on revenue, headcount or magic 8-ball.

Companies can manipulate how much they charge satellite offices to effect taxable income. Blownz mentioned it - aim to keep your reported income high, in the lowest tax environments (Delaware for example).

[topsecret]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


Once minimum wage hits $15, I'm never tipping again. Tipping will be for STELLAR service only. And something like 10%

I'm sure restaurants are already planning on this and will be implementing a mandatory 15% gratuity, similar to what we already see at the new earls....

[bjstare]

Originally posted by topsecret



I'm sure restaurants are already planning on this and will be implementing a mandatory 15% gratuity, similar to what we already see at the new earls....

If prices increase AND mandatory gratuity comes into play, I definitely will go out to eat less.