Yes Means No To HST

THERE ARE SIGNS OF POLITICAL shenanigans in my world. It is taxing to keep up with BC Liberal Government maneuverings when it comes to the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) put into effect on July 1, 2010, without public consultation.

Premier Gordon Campbell, during his election campaign, clearly stated he would not implement the combined tax of 7% Provincial (PST) and 5% Federal (GST) that taxes goods and services previously exempt. He changed his mind soon after getting re-elected.

The unexpected HST would likely have received grumbling but little action from the public were it not for Bill Vander Zalm, a former Premier who came out of retirement to fight the tax.

Gordon Campbell eventually resigned leaving the interim Leader of the Party to finesse the situation. Forced to include the public in their decision, the BC Liberals will mail some 3.5 million forms to voters using taxpayer dollars. People must deliver their ballots in person to limited locations, making voting inconvenient for working people and difficult for many housebound elderly. Taxpayers are also funding expensive Government ads promoting the HST.

The wording of the Referendum seems designed to confuse. People expect to vote NO to the tax but should vote YES to "extinguish" the tax, if they want to abolish it. People opposing the HST put out signs to warn the public about potential confusion. A June 9th article at straight.com by Dermod Travis cites an instance when 54% of the ballots were incorrectly cast due to word manipulation.

In addition to word-twisting, the public is being tempted by an HST tax reduction to 10% by 2014. If this turns out like the broken promise not to implement the tax in the first place, it will likely never happen. Of course, a rebate for all the money the BC public has spent throughout the year paying the HST will not be on the table, IF the HST is voted down.

Postscript: Ballot packages can be returned by mail providing they are received by Elections BC, a Service BC Centre, or an Elections BC Collection Centre before 4:30 p.m., Friday, July 22, 2011. However, people might need to deliver their ballots in person, if the potential postal strike occurs within this timeframe. If BC Liberals had not moved up the date for the HST Referendum from Sept. 24th to June 13th the looming strike would not be an issue.

This article linked to signs, signs.

Postscript, Aug. 26, 2011: The referendum resulted in 54.73 per cent of voters rejecting the HST.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Bill Vander Zalm Not For Harmony

TWO FOR ONE USUALLY MEANS a good deal is being offered at the grocery store. What could be wrong with a bargain or, for that matter, a beautiful song performed in harmony? We all know words are important in swaying public opinion. But although “harmonized sales tax” has a nice ring to it, it is out of tune with much of the taxed-to-the-max public. In addition, many shoppers know that two-for-one sales are often a gimmick disguised as a saving.

It is not surprising then that former Premier Bill Vander Zalm, and the general public, have serious doubts about the veracity of the BC Liberal claim that joining the GST with the PST will boost the economy, lower prices and create jobs. This is especially true when we see that the two taxes, scheduled to morph into the 12 percent HST on July 1st, will increase the cost of such basic services as a meal at a restaurant, a movie, haircut, Cable TV, and even burial when the time comes.

Reports from most media suggest a team of wild horses couldn't halt the HST. However, Bill Vander Zalm was much more optimistic when he spoke during a meeting I attended at the Star of the Sea Hall in White Rock on Friday. I wasn't expecting such a crowd and seeing it build was a little like waiting for the Olympic torch to arrive as the line stretched around the block.

Vander Zalm was at the door doing a meet and greet. The hall quickly became packed with an appreciative, almost bubbly, audience eager to hear the former Premier give details about the HST as well as provide history about the realities of yet another tax to the average consumer.

Vander Zalm was quick to remind the crowd that prior to the election the Liberal government said it would not implement the HST. He explained how shocked he was when he first heard a brief report about the HST coming to BC on the evening news. He became so incensed, in fact, that he was ready to give up some relaxing golf games and (I'm guessing) a cruise or two to tour the province. This past while, he has stayed in some nice and also seedier hotels with a handful of other dedicated volunteers to inform and get the petition he launched signed.

Vander Zalm seemed certain that his group will collect the necessary signatures from at least 10 percent of the registered voters in each of BC’s 85 electoral districts by July 5th. Striving to get 15 percent so that the public's objections will be clear, it is a Herculean task that requires footwork from an army of volunteers.

I left the event with the impression that Vander Zalm sincerely believes the HST is bad for BC and that it can be stopped. I couldn't help but admire his late-in-life passion and willingness to sing a different tune.