Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Sliver

But it's a legitimate business expense. It's marketing. Surely I should be able to write-off my Google Adwords, my mail-outs, my boulevard sign, my on-hold message, etc., right? This is the exact same thing, but arguably with better results.

It’s not always a legitimate business expense though. Buying advertising is clearly a business expense, buying tickets that you give to friends and family but write off as a business expense isn’t. Same goes for when they’re given to politicians.

If this small write off were taken away would it really make a significant impact on the businesses that use it legitimately? Does the benefit to those businesses outweigh the potential costs for fraudulent application of the tax code by the people who abuse it?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

It’s not always a legitimate business expense though. Buying advertising is clearly a business expense, buying tickets that you give to friends and family but write off as a business expense isn’t. Same goes for when they’re given to politicians.

If this small write off were taken away would it really make a significant impact on the businesses that use it legitimately? Does the benefit to those businesses outweigh the potential costs for fraudulent application of the tax code by the people who abuse it?

I understand what you're saying and it's a fair question.

I agree it leaves a lot of room for grey-area screwing around.

I guess in my case I'm pretty honest with this stuff because I don't see an upside to horsing around with illegitimate write offs. I like at Christmas when I get to buy stuff for my best customers. I've had my business for 20 years and I know the guys I work with pretty well. I like buying from local businesses (like surferguy's), and the customers always really appreciate the thoughtfulness. I also like shopping for gifts for my staff (20-year watches from justing's jewelry shop). I wouldn't do those things if you couldn't write them off, though. The write off is meaningful to a small business.

To answer your question directly, yes, I think the write offs - even if abused somewhat - do pay off for our economy/society. It's not like I can write off a cheque made payable to cash or something crazy. You do have to justify the expense and it will come up in an audit. The fact that you can write this stuff off just means you are spending more money in the economy than you may have otherwise. You're incentivized to spend the money because your dollar goes further than if you didn't spend it through the corp. I mean, ask surferguy or justing if they think it's a good system as beneficiaries of it.

If I wasn't getting some of these write offs, I'd just take more money out of my company and put it in my retirement savings. The write offs I get are a strong incentive to spend that money in the community.

[Fuzz]

Mentzelopoulos refers to “efforts by government officials to increase prices being paid to private suppliers, both in excess of prices being paid to other private suppliers and also internal AHS costing.”

The claim says this ran “contrary to her extensive experience in government negotiations, including when she had served as a Deputy Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.”

The finest managers of our tax dollars a citizen could ask for. Why would a customer be asking to pay MORE for supplies? "Oh, I'm sorry, that price is too low. Make sure we pay more money than required." Like, WTF is going on?

The claim alleges that Marshall Smith, then Premier Danielle Smith’s chief of staff, called her on Sept. 21, 2024, to know the status of negotiations on charter surgical facilities in Red Deer and Lethbridge.

She claims Marshall Smith told her the businesspeople involved with Alberta Surgical Group were impatient with delays. The principals were “serious people — don’t mess with them,” he is alleged to have told Mentzelopoulos.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/ahs-a...act-wrongdoing

Is this a ####in' mob deal? What in the holy hell is going on in our government?

[BowRiverBruinsRule]

Alberta Premier Danielle "Sargent Schultz" Smith in Washington.
I see nothing. I hear nothing. I know nothing.

[fotze2]

I went to a flames game with Mr. Coffee once. It’s a total business expense that was worthy. I think we brought them more volumes and now we feel comfortable phoning both ways when something is going south on either end. It should be 7000% deductible for the value it created. We got a little buckled and he’s hilarious and ten times more cynical in person.

[puffnstuff]

A bit of a refresher about part of the scandal.

Its not just about hockey tickets.

https://albertaviews.ca/the-hidden-c...-skybox-photo/

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Sliver

If I wasn't getting some of these write offs, I'd just take more money out of my company and put it in my retirement savings. The write offs I get are a strong incentive to spend that money in the community.

Here’s my dilemma with this argument Sliver, if the write offs are such a small percentage of the overall expense why wouldn’t you or any other business owner continue to invest the difference to continue receiving all of the benefits you’re boasting about?

Does going from free club seats to free non-club seats really affect fotze and MrCoffee’s ability to network that drastically?

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Here’s my dilemma with this argument Sliver, if the write offs are such a small percentage of the overall expense why wouldn’t you or any other business owner continue to invest the difference to continue receiving all of the benefits you’re boasting about?

Does going from free club seats to free non-club seats really affect fotze and MrCoffee’s ability to network that drastically?

It was lower bowl. Good seats. I agree it gets ridiculous. Dudes getting fishing trips to Bahamas.

It’s an old adage in the oil patch that the entire community of Mount Royal was built on graft. When I’m out with my super wealthy colleagues, the “business trips” are insane. Family vacations oceanfront in Maui. Haida island salmon fishing.

Crappy oilers tickets just seems laughable. I’m gonna need a bag of money with a dollar sign on it to take that crap.

A lot of times the sales guys are so sick of going and doing the get hammered thing they prefer you just take the tickets for your own use. I’ve known a few guys due early doing the sales lifestyle too long.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Here’s my dilemma with this argument Sliver, if the write offs are such a small percentage of the overall expense why wouldn’t you or any other business owner continue to invest the difference to continue receiving all of the benefits you’re boasting about?

Does going from free club seats to free non-club seats really affect fotze and MrCoffee’s ability to network that drastically?

Because then you're adding to your net profit and getting taxed on the net. This way you put that money into the economy to your own benefit and the benefit of somebody you want to please. Sometimes if you have a great year it's good to lower your net by spending the money versus declaring more net. This encourages you to spread earned money around the economy.

So fotze gets drunk with Mr Coffee. Seems a little unfair, I get it; however, they employed a ticket sales guy, a parking guy, a security guy, a brewery, the guy who delivers the beer, a janitor, the guy who stocks urinal cakes, the uber driver, etc etc.

Every dollar spent because somebody was grabbing a write off is employing people. It's nothing but good for the economy.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Because then you're adding to your net profit and getting taxed on the net. This way you put that money into the economy to your own benefit and the benefit of somebody you want to please. Sometimes if you have a great year it's good to lower your net by spending the money versus declaring more net. This encourages you to spread earned money around the economy.

You don’t think buying more tickets for cheaper would have an even bigger impact on the economy?

So fotze gets drunk with Mr Coffee. Seems a little unfair, I get it; however, they employed a ticket sales guy, a parking guy, a security guy, a brewery, the guy who delivers the beer, a janitor, the guy who stocks urinal cakes, the uber driver, etc etc.

Why would it be unfair for a company to comp them tickets if the owners believe it benefits the business?

Every dollar spent because somebody was grabbing a write off is employing people. It's nothing but good for the economy.

This is starting to border on trickle down economics rhetoric. Can you explain to me how two people being gifted tickets are contributing less to the economy if they are getting $200 seats compared to $150 seats.

[GGG]

Do you question the concept of all business expenses or just this one?

Is this any different than having premium office space to impress clients or advertising your business to doing sales presentations. There all costs incurred to expand or improve your business.

So what do you see as the difference between hockey tickets (especially if you go with the sales guy) and any other promotional expense

[Torture]

Can we take the tax write off debate to another thread or DMs and focus on the ####ing ludicrous levels of corruption that have been alleged here and non response from Smith and UCP?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

You don’t think buying more tickets for cheaper would have an even bigger impact on the economy?

Why would it be unfair for a company to comp them tickets if the owners believe it benefits the business?

This is starting to border on trickle down economics rhetoric. Can you explain to me how two people being gifted tickets are contributing less to the economy if they are getting $200 seats compared to $150 seats.

Meh, I've done a super good job explaining it already. I think we're good here.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by GGG

Do you question the concept of all business expenses or just this one?

Is this any different than having premium office space to impress clients or advertising your business to doing sales presentations. There all costs incurred to expand or improve your business.

So what do you see as the difference between hockey tickets (especially if you go with the sales guy) and any other promotional expense

I just think we shouldn’t ignore the flaws nor avoid considering addressing them based on questionable arguments.

I’ve personally seen a lot of questionable use and/or downright abuses on these types of claims. While that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a widespread problem where the negatives outweigh the positives I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a discussion about it.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Meh, I've done a super good job explaining it already.

That’s debatable.

I think we're good here.

You’ve never come off as one who holds a grudge over a disagreement so in my view we’re always good

[puffnstuff]

Appears that the govt doesnt like Nate Pike very much (the guy that runs The Breakdown and is being sued by Mraiche for 6 million)

Mentzelopoulos's lawsuit notes that Marshall Smith had called her last summer to complain that "powerful people" were angry about an AHS paramedic named Nate Pike, whose webcast and social media account#The Breakdown#has been critical of the Smith government and who has posted often about the Turkish children's medication situation.

The premier's aide warned Mentzelopoulos that Pike was "your employee" and "you're going to look very bad" and there would be "consequences." The AHS leader replied she wouldn't fire Pike, but did urge other executives to speak to Pike about tweeting while at work.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...suit-1.7457785

[Fuzz]

These UCPers sure hate a lot of their citizens.


Given their mob like threats, perhaps they should be known as the United Crime Posse.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by GGG

Do you question the concept of all business expenses or just this one?

Is this any different than having premium office space to impress clients or advertising your business to doing sales presentations. There all costs incurred to expand or improve your business.

So what do you see as the difference between hockey tickets (especially if you go with the sales guy) and any other promotional expense

Office space isnt a tax write off. that's the argument.

Taking your buddies down to Scottsdale on a PJ and golfing Troon for 4 days is a lot different than renting better office space.

Taking a friend out for dinner and marking it down as hosting isnt the same as money spent on a presentation to potential clients.

There is a ton of abuse of this type of expense; but the debate is, as i see it, whether the value of the good outweighs the abuse

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Because then you're adding to your net profit and getting taxed on the net. This way you put that money into the economy to your own benefit and the benefit of somebody you want to please. Sometimes if you have a great year it's good to lower your net by spending the money versus declaring more net. This encourages you to spread earned money around the economy.

So fotze gets drunk with Mr Coffee. Seems a little unfair, I get it; however, they employed a ticket sales guy, a parking guy, a security guy, a brewery, the guy who delivers the beer, a janitor, the guy who stocks urinal cakes, the uber driver, etc etc.

Every dollar spent because somebody was grabbing a write off is employing people. It's nothing but good for the economy.

Not saying it's wrong on the overall principal, but in a funny way this kind of adds to market momentum both positive and negative. By this logic If businesses on average are having a strong year, presumably it is on the back of a strong economy. Then they are more likely to spend money fueling the economy, which re-enforces a strong economy. The opposite could happen too, businesses are suffering in a weak economy, they then cut the client event, further leading to softening (less work out there for a ticket sales guy, a parking guy, a security guy, a brewery, the guy who delivers the beer, a janitor, the guy who stocks urinal cakes, the uber driver, etc etc. who now spend less in their day to day lives)

Just interesting how it contributes to negative feedback loops.

[puffnstuff]

I thought we all agreed to stop with this or move it to different thread.