Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[Arykana]

this is the most dirty thing to do

[Maggi Young]

this is the most dirty thing to do

Well, we have discovered that Tom is no gentleman and that GlassHouse Works are not to be trusted...... I hope no other forumists are caught out by these people.

[johnw]

this is the most dirty thing to do

Well, we have discovered that Tom is no gentleman and that GlassHouse Works are not to be trusted...... I hope no other forumists are caught out by these people.

Time for forumists to get active and send him an email on their thoughts, also that friends far and wide in the plantworld will be advised.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

The Glasshouse Works company seems to spread itself over a number of names . ....
Exotic Plants.com
Rare Plants.com
Gardening by mail.com
Fantastic Gardens.com

none of which names seem appropriate in the circumstances!



My emails and Gabriella's  were to/from  tom@exoticplants.com
but this one was used too , in reply...
plants@glasshouseworks.com


Glasshouse Works Church Street PO Box 97 Stewart OH 45778-0097
Telephone 740 662 2142
Fax 740 662 2120
Website maintained by Thomas Winn  - I don't know if this is the "Tom" of the emails.... probably is. 

[Lesley Cox]

That's odd. The note I posted above about Maureen Forrester and her mention on our radio, was just a minute ago yet it has come up on the previous page, connected to the original post from JohnW.

Perhaps I pressed Modify instead of quote.

[johnw]

That's odd. The note I posted above about Maureen Forrester and her mention on our radio

Lesley

Just wait till you hear her Mahler!  

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks John. I'll go looking. Marbecks, the only decent classical music store in the country, and where I get most of my discs online, has just opened a branch in Dunedin.

[Lesley Cox]

It's now July 1st and today the country goes totally to the dogs! It is the introduction of the govt's precious Emissions Trading Scheme. EVERYTHING goes up in price: petrol, electricity, car registration, taxes on hundreds of things (including alcohol) and so on. As well, public transport costs are rising, local govt. taxes are up and many firms are taking the opportunity to slam on some extra profit taking, as if we won't notice. It seems all the millions from these rises are to go to farmers to encourage them to plant more trees. GST rises to 15% in October and our PM says "that's all right, everyone will have personal tax cuts in place at the same time." He'll have an extra $400 per week in his pocket. So far as I can work out there may be an extra $2 or $3 in mine, to pay for all this. My Telecom phone bill has also gone up this month too, nothing to do with ETS, just they want more to pay their CEO whose tax cut amounts to another quarter million a year in his pocket.

No, I'm not feeling suicidal, but I AM feeling murderous. Where do I start?

[johnw]

GST rises to 15% in October

Lesley - Here as well, but as of midnight tonight.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

My commiserations John. I don't know how the Brits can live with 17.5%VAT and talk of it going up to 20%. That basic stuff costs all that much extra as a tax, along with all the various people involved in making, growing it getting a share of profit, is a ruddy disgrace. One reason why I like my Farmers' Market. At least the guys who grow the apples and cabbages, or raise the beef, get the lion's share of what the buyer pays.

We pay GST on absolutely EVERYTHING with the exception of rent and mortgages, and financial transactions through banks. Every food item, for instance, is taxed.

[arillady]

I sure hope our Govt. doesn't read these posts and increase our GST which is 10% - only a matter of time I guess.
Paying whopping big paypackets for CEOs etc is morally wrong when others towards the bottom and at the bottom are stressing out to pay bills or live on the streets.

[Stephenb]

Dear Governments of the Rest of the World,

Here in Scandinavia, general VAT is 25%. This seems grossly unfair and we suggest you all follow suit (is it true that your citizens are complaining?).

Yours etc

P.S. Be prepared for suggestions of Scandinavian-style wages...

[johnw]

Every food item, for instance, is taxed.

Lesley - Here groceries, prescription drugs and clothing (under $100 so no Armanis here) are exempt.  Before the GST (now called the HST or BST - harmonized or blended sales tax = provincial hospital tax + GST) tax we paid 10% +5% then it was reduced to 13%.  Those with lower incomes get quaterly rebates and that will be increased substantially starting today.   A fact of life now and it has helped tremendously to pay down the debt  and has put Canada in an enviable financial position.  It is however a huge accounting nightmare for businesses as they have to claim GST they have been charged by suppliers against what they charge customers and pay the difference regularly to the Feds.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Lord, Stephen, 25%. That's iniquitous. I don't know anything of Scandinavian wages but ours are said to be about 30% less than Australians' and there's this paranoic determination of Govt and unions to raise ours to their levels by extra production and whatever. But housing and much else is very expensive in Australia compared with here.

I think it is morally wrong that when there are increases in saleries or pay rates, it is always as a percentage rather than set amounts. Inevitably, the richer you are, the more is handed out to you. (e.g Telecom Boss who gets more than anyone else in NZ in spite of some major stuff ups recently) Those who do the handing out seem to imagine that if you have almost nothing, you don't need it anyway. If you are unemployed or living on an invalid benefit or whatever, your loaf of bread and litre of petrol costs the same as it does for Telecom's boss. If it seems I have a particular down on Paul Reynolds, CEO of Telecom, you're probably right. He's a tall, good-looking Scotsman as it happens but after massive advertising for a new high speed, multipurpose mobile telephone, network (XT) which was supposed to do everything but wash the dishes and make the beds (yes, discriminatory against yours truly) and getting in Richard (the hampster) Hammond from the UK to advertise it, the whole thing turned to custard and went on the blink for days, then again and again. This started back in February and my son is still having problems with his. Next we see Reynolds on the telly wandering (in very expensive sports gear) up and down one of the more remote and protected rivers, casting flies (badly) and exhorting us all to give the XT network a go. I find the whole ad offensive considering what his network has cost businesses and individuals over months now. Oh yes, did I mention my phone bill has just increased?

Re prescription drugs, almost all items now cost the consumer no more than $3 per item. They're heavily subsidised by govt (but still include GST) and after you've had 20 items in a twelve month period, they're free until the end of that 12 months. Can't complain about that.

[Lesley Cox]

P.S. Be prepared for suggestions of Scandinavian-style wages...

Do share Stephen.