Monday, March 15, 2010
HST Opponents Should Come Up With The $1.6 Billion
The HST opponents are continuing to rally against the proposed harmonized sales tax that will come into effect on July 1st. Former premier Bill Vander Zalm is holding rallies across the province, the NDP is making political hay out of it whenever they can, the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association is running ads and a website in opposition, and a petition will begin circulating in April hoping to derail the yet-to-be-written legislation. The BC Liberals, who were strangely silent on this issue for so long, have finally begun to fight back, explaining the myriad benefits that the HST will provide for the economy. The BC Liberals need to start demanding one other thing of the HST opponents: where's the $1.6 billion? The federal government gave BC a $1.6 billion payment to harmonize the federal and provincial sales taxes. With the province's budget bleeding red ink, I'd like to know where the strange bedfellows of the NDP and Bill Vander Zalm are planning on coming up with that money? Without the $1.6 billion, we'd be in an even bigger hole than we are now. And what about the tens of millions the government itself will save each year with the HST? Where will that money come from? And what about the billions in savings businesses and employers will get from the HST? What are the opponents' plans to cover all that? The HST makes both short term and long term economic sense for British Columbia and no Vander Zalm-NDP petition drive is going to convince me otherwise.
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5 comments:
You are entitled to your opinion Cory and the other 85% of British Columbians are entitled to ours. Ain't democracy grand?
Yes, democracy is grand. You vote in a government, they enact legislation, and at the next election they are held accountable. Nowhere in that do I feel a grizzled old politcal has-been and twice-refjected NDP leader should get to try and block government legislation. And something tells me that in 3 years, when the economy is humming along and the BC Liberals have steered the province to economic prosperity once again, the HST will be but a nostalgic glint in but a few voters' eyes.
The HST hurts those least able to afford it: seniors and low income earners. The average family will be spending over 2 grand a year more. The extra money will go into Liberal coffers but won't benefit health care or education. Large international corporations and their shareholders will benefit while your favorite local eatery goes belly-up. Democracy? With 90% of the people opposing this tax the Liberals are once again, banking on the short memories of the electorate...unfortunately, they'll probably be right.
What extra money? The HST, with its exemptions and rebates to seniors and low-income individuals will result in LESS money collected in taxes, not more. It's clearly not the "tax grab" its being portrayed as.
According to the TD Bank's own report, there will be a 7% tax increase on 21 items.
Your point about less revenue from business tax savings is well taken, however, that means that there will be less money for social programs like health care and education. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to believe that the tax savings businesses will realize will be passed along to the consumer. After all, look what happened with the predicted benefits for the consumer from the GST - bupkis.
Low income earners will indeed, get a break with the HST: a whopping $230 a year. Liberal smoke and mirrors since those same families will be spending hundreds, if not thousands more because of higher consumer taxes...and speaking of consumers, who'll be making up the revenue shortfall? The already overtaxed middle class.
Once again, it's a gold mine for the corporate business Liberal cronies and the shaft for Joe Six-Pack.
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