Positives Outweigh Negatives In 2010

GNN blogger Kevin Thistle of Coppinwood in Uxbridge, Ont., says that while we may not welcome the implementation of the HST at the beginning of July, there are more important, positive signs in the economy that illustrate that things will get better in 2010.

I think that, in April, we’re going to feel the effects of the economy turning around. Last April was the crux of the economic crisis.

We’re going to be in a little better position than a year ago. Talking to a lot of operators, they’re seeing optimism from their tournaments, their public golfers and their members.

Admittedly, there are some factors that could limit the growth. For example, we’ve got the HST coming in Ontario and British Columbia.

I think the HST is going to affect the golf business because all of my research shows me that green fees are going to be affected. If you have a $100 green fee plus GST right now, you’re going to have a $100 green fee plus HST starting in July.

That’s an extra eight per cent in Ontario and seven per cent in B.C. and that’s a lot of money for people to accept. However, life goes on.

Remember when the GST was coming in and the sky was falling? We may not have liked it, but we paid it and got used to it.

The HST is another tax. Go to the gas pumps and see how much tax we’re paying on our gas.

To me, the more important economic indicators are employment and income. If I lost my job or if I made X amount of dollars last year and this year, I made way less, that I think is a bigger concern for me than the HST.

The HST is probably here to stay. One federal party said they were going to take the GST out, but as soon as they got elected, they didn’t do that. We’d better get used to the idea of implementing it.

While that’s inevitable, the positive aspect to concentrate on is the positive indicators that are showing in the economy.

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