Why I am against the HST (By Bill Vander Zalm)
Aug 25, 2009 Details
Every well practiced politician can make a case for or against whatever it is being proposed. With the HST, let’s just deal with a few simple facts and forget all the rhetoric.
The B.C. Liberal government has told us that the new HST will be revenue neutral. Revenue neutral, they explain, is that it’s a tax paid by the consumer, not to go to Healthcare, Social Services, Education or some other government program but, to provide tax relief to business by way of tax refunds.
They further state that the HST will bring in $2 Billion (that’s – $ 2,000,000,000) per year. In our province of 4 million people that works out to $ 500 per year for every man, woman and child and that it will probably be about $ 2000 + per family or about $ 1250 for the average senior couple.
For most people that is a heavy extra burden and means cutting back on eating out, going to the theatre, going to a hockey game, getting a haircut and even the much more important things. Economics 101 tells us that less consumer spending means a loss of jobs.
The government tells us that Industry will cut their prices and we will gain by that. The B.C. government fails to tell us that 90% of the B.C. Economy is the resource industry. The only difference to the likes of Alcan, Cominco, Endako, Fording Coal, Shell Oil and the likes is that the tax refunds, from you the B.C. consumer, will help those poor Canadians, Americans, Europeans and Asians that have shares in these companies. It is world wide commodity prices that decide the price of oil, natural gas, coal, lumber or minerals not a tax refund. It’s world commodity prices that decide whether these companies create more jobs and hire more people, not a tax refund.
The Premier and Minister of Finance tell us that in a few years manufactured goods will get cheaper. The best example of what is likely to happen, came from the Ministers themselves. When it was discovered that a bottle of wine would be a little cheaper under HST than PST they annouced that the Liquor Control Board would increase its profit to make up the difference.
What made me especially angry was the way in which the HST was foisted upon us. After saying no HST and no more new taxes, during the election only a few months ago, when they must have been in negotiations with the federal government on it, premier Campbell then foisted it upon us all in a take it or leave it manner. Well, I choose to leave it.
In short it’s a deceitful tax grab, during a time of economic downturn, taken from those least able to pay with most of it going to help out the shareholders in those big companies.
Bill Vander Zalm
Tags: bill vander zalm, federal government, finance minister, groceries, haircut, heavy burden, hockey game, HST, liberal government, logging company, man woman and child, negotiations, noticeable difference, politician, rhetoric, woman and child
