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submitted 1 week ago by RandAlThor@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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[-] dwazou@lemm.ee 81 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Microsoft is currently robbing Canadians.

Every year, they are overcharging the Federal Government, Provinces, Cities, Universities, Hospitals and Small Business owners for the right to use Microsoft Office. They make 40% margins. It's absolutely disgusting.

Microsoft has basically managed to tax every single Canadian.

If you go to a Canadian University, whether you like it or not, you are paying the Microsoft tax. Because your tuition is paying Microsoft. If you pay provincial taxes, you pay the Microsoft Tax. Whether you like it or not, the provinces are paying Microsoft. If you go buy food at the supermarket, whether you like it or not, you are paying the Microsoft tax. Because Canadian supermarket companies are paying Microsoft. You want to buy a bus ticket ? You are paying Microsoft. The Bus company is paying Microsoft.

It's parasitism. Microsoft is a parasite that feeds on the Canadian economy.

I now use Libre Office.

👉 https://www.libreoffice.org/

It's a wonderful alternative to Microsoft Office. It's free, secure, and developed by a non-profit organization that I financially support. I urge people to switch to Libre Office instead of Word/Excel/PowerPoint.

After a few days, you quickly get used to it. Then you just wonder "Why we are all paying Microsoft so much money in the first place?".

We need Canadian institutions, small and big, to do the same. Stop paying the Microsoft tax. Fight the Parasite.

[-] Albbi@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago

Don't forget to stop using your credit cards! They're all American an take a percent of all transactions.

[-] ploot 27 points 1 week ago

Yes, Interac debit is an alternative in many situations, and that's a Canadian company.

[-] Hastur@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

i don't get cashback on debit

[-] MacroCyclo@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

Cashback is stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

[-] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I have a CC while being an EU citizen. Main reason is calamity while traveling, it's just accepted at so many places so it could bail me out. I still buy 99,99 % of my stuff debit though, I don't need most purchases ensured, also i don't like doing my finances one month behind, I like it one month ahead, so paying my CC bills after 30 days is a net negative for me.

Do I understand correctly that 'cashback' is the fact that if you return stuff, you get the refund cash and not wired to your account/digitally put back on the debit card? If so, can you explain the importance of that for your situation? If not, could you explain to me what 'cashback' means in this context?

[-] ploot 6 points 1 week ago

I'm not the person you were asking, but:

Cash back credit cards reward you by refunding a percentage of your purchases made using the card. You can use this refund as a credit towards your monthly balance or as cash deposited into your bank account. Some cards offer a flat percentage on all purchases, while others offer higher percentages on select categories.

Source: https://www.ratehub.ca/blog/best-cash-back-credit-cards-in-canada/

Of course, they wouldn't be doing this if you weren't paying them at least the refunded amount somewhere else - through fees, or through people's average interest payments, or through price increases applied by the stores to cover the fees they pay to the credit card companies.

[-] Stovetop@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Are there no Canadian financial institutions capable of launching their own cards and payment processors? That seems like a pretty big issue if the US is still skimming money off of each Buy Canadian purchase made by any medium other than cash.

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

All the Canadian banks should start a joint venture for a Canadian credit card.

[-] Albbi@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

The banks do take a hefty cut of that transaction fee, and visa/mastercard get a smaller cut. But that's still a lot of money going to the US for no reason.

We do have Interac here in Canada which charges a few cents instead of a percent, and it's Canadian.

[-] FreeBooteR69@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

Linux/libre-software user since 2006. Stop funding this hostile foreign power. It is in Canadians best interest to get out from under the autocratic techno-elite paradigm. Embrace freedom, leave your serfdom behind.

[-] mintiefresh@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

I dual boot Linux and haven't touched my Windows partition since this all began.

My small form of protest haha. And you're right, Libre Office is sufficient for my needs.

this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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