You ask what is Festivus? Festivus was invented in the 1960s by the father of Dan O`Keefe, a screenwriter on the 1990s hit comedy Seinfeld. It became a tradition in the O’Keefe family and in an episode of the O’Keefe family. Seinfeld in December 1997, as principal professor of the Frank Costanza program, George’s father, introduced this glorious holiday to the world.
Every year on December 23, the whole family gathers around an unadorned aluminum pole and enjoys dinners accompanied by feats of strength, such as wrestling. But it wouldn’t be a real Festivus without the annual “complaint radio program,” the tradition of telling those around you how they’ve let you down over the past year.
On behalf of consumers across Canada, I feel safe to say that we certainly have grievances against Canadian politicians. In fact, after two years of dealing with pandemic restrictions, this Festivus is particularly sour. In the words of the inimitable Frank Costanza: “We had a lot of problems with you, and now you’re going to hear about it.
At the federal level, there’s a lot of grievance going around. First of all, a shame on the federal government for continuing to levy an excise tax on medical marijuana. When recreational marijuana was legalized, Ottawa imposed a 10% excise tax, even on prescription products. We do not sell any other drugs in this country. Charging medical patients more for their drugs is something that even Scrooge himself finds cruel.
And this is not the end of the sinful financial madness that our federal government is imposing on us. The country maintains an excise tax on non-alcoholic beer, albeit at a low level. It’s madness (at least to say that). An excise tax can be seen as a way to offset the health costs associated with drinking, but what are the health costs of non-alcoholic beer? There aren’t any. It’s just consumer attrition – ironically (and stupidly) it’s primarily aimed at health-conscious consumers.
Read More: Opinion: Happy Festivus (for the rest of us)! | Financial Post
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