Regarding the charge made recently by MLA Blair Lekstrom, of fear-mongering and misinformation being given out by anti-HST people. There are several examples that can be dredged up to show what happens when instead on paying seven per cent on goods only, we would be paying an additional seven per cent on services as well. This of course is where the $1.8 billion of revenue would come from to make this proposed tax “revenue neutral,” which means it will cost the wage earner and people on fixed incomes an average of $500 extra per year. Now don’t just take my word for it, lets get expert opinions, such as from Peace River North MLA Patt Pimm who was quoted in the April 7th Alaska Highway News saying “For me, it is somewhere between $600 and $800 per year that it is going to cost me extra”, not to mention former B.C. Liberal Minister of Finance Ms. Carole Taylor, who spoke against the HST in the last government, and is quoted in the April 27th Globe and Mail.

“This particular tax takes the tax off businesses – it takes $2.3 billion off of businesses – and puts it on consumers,” Ms. Taylor told a CTV News panel last week. “But I think the bigger issue is that [Premier Gordon Campbell] promised that they would not – they would not – do the harmonization of the sales tax. And then right after the election, decided to do it”.

Gee! I hope these people are not being accused of fear mongering or spreading misinformation.

There may be some short term benefits for some business and the agricultural industry. How long will these benefits last when the workforce receives the increases in wages that they will require as their costs go up. This HST will introduce a round of inflation that will make competition harder. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba do not have the HST and they are much closer to Ontario. Much of our competition is low priced manufactured goods landing on our Pacific Coast and the increase in wages will make us less competitive against these import goods. By the way, for those of you that don’t know, the HST was implemented in Saskatchewan in 1989 and then dumped by the next government two years later.

As I said there are many examples one can speak to, but I’ll start with this one. A family with an income of under $25,000 (who, if there are 4 in the family will be burdened with an extra cost of about $2,000 per year) will get back a whopping $230 per person year, how good is that!! Take away five, give back two and then accuse us of being too stupid to understand why this HST is good for us.

We all know that jobs are important as is mentioned in the article, and I would suggest that if you don’t want to see more of them lost to due to the increased attraction of lower priced commodities from the Pacific Rim then join us in stopping or repealing this HST. While in the Peace area, we have reached the number of signatures required on the petition to “end the HST.” every additional signature enforces the message, every signature will be noticed, every disgruntled voter will be noticed, and so we should be. If they are prudent, our elected representatives will recognize this opportunity to represent us instead of force feeding a pill the majority do not want. Find a canvasser or a signing location and let’s all sign this petition.

Alvin Stedel

Regional Organizer

Fight the HST CamPaign