Re: “Why I’m voting to stop the HST,” June 25
Maybe Michelle Mungall should start earning her money as a MLA.
Firstly, she states that the BC Liberal party misled the BC taxpayers in the last provincial election over the HST. What? Darrell Dexter and the NDP in Nova Scotia made a campaign promise that if elected government, there would zero tax increases.
What happens? The taxpayers elected a NDP provincial government and the NDP raises the HST from 13 per cent to 15 per cent making it the highest HST in all of Canada. The HST in New Brunswick is 13 per cent, Newfoundland and Labrador 13 per cent, Ontario 13 per cent, Nova Scotia 15 per cent (thanks to the NDP), and BC 12 per cent, which could be lower if the HST ballot passes to keep the HST.
Quebec is currently in negotiations with the federal government to bring in the HST. The federal government will give Quebec $2.2 billion for adopting the HST and it is said to be complete for September 2011. This will make the HST in Quebec 14.5 per cent, still less than the NDP government of Nova Scotia. The taxpayers in Quebec just sit back, pay the taxes, and laugh at the taxpayers of BC that go out onto the street protesting like a third world nation.
Bill Vander Zalm’s petition of 557,383 taxpayer signatures protesting HST — not 700,000 as stated because of disqualified signatures — is peanuts in relation to the 14,800,000 taxpayers who have to pay HST in the other provinces. With Quebec, add another seven million taxpayers. How come there is no public outcry from the other taxpayers who now pay HST?
Mungall’s claim of returning to the PST/GST is only going to take BC to the back benches in Canada compared to the other provinces. But what do expect from the NDP anyway? They made BC into a have-not province.
Maybe the HST ballot should read, “Do you want your province of BC to remain competitive? Yes? No?” If a taxpayer answered no, then they would have to have their head examined.
Mungall always uses the phrase “big business.” What she forgets is it is big business that give BC taxpayers paycheques every two weeks, not the NDP and Jim Sinclair and the BC Federation of Labour.
With all the taxpayers who now pay HST, along with Quebec to come, Alberta to follow, with no public outcry, and no popularity in the NDP in other provinces, the BC NDP deserves to remain the official opposition after the next provincial election.
BC taxpayers have been married to the NDP three times. On their third marriage to the taxpayers, they won 39 seats, compared to 36 for the opposition, a nail biter. So coming into the next election, BC taxpayers have to ask themselves: Go back to the nightmares of an NDP government, similar to going back to a former spouse after a divorce or just sit still, relax, and play it safe.
Mungall should admit all governments are going to collect taxes in some shape, form, or another, but some governments are better than others. Protesting the HST on the phrase “it was the way it was introduced to the taxpayer” is immature thinking to place your voting on. The HST vote is in the hands of the BC taxpayers. They make the final decision, and remember that decision lies with the provincial government, whoever the governing party will be.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan