Why I am against the HST (By Bill Vander Zalm)
Aug 25, 2009 Details
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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
http://www.ernestandleegifts.com Support your blog, and follow your twitter. Gordon Campbell has dissapointed us, to say the least, time and time again. Mr. Cambell has got to go.
Ryan, Ron and Tracy
Ernest and Lee Gifts Online
British Columbia, Canada
It is to the credit of Bill Vander Zalm that, long after his time as premier, he continues to demonstrate his interest in the welfare of British Columbia. He has lent his support to many, many ordinary citizens who are seeking to further the welfare of the province. We owe him a debt of thanks.
Well, well Mr. Hansen. I allege that you did know before the May election. How could you not know before the May Election? As you say if Ontario agreed to the HST, then it would be a wise move for BC to do likewise. You probably asked Mr. Harper to delete the pertinent e-mails that would have brought the truth out and when in fact, you knew about the HST. The people of BC don’t need such evidence as they know, you clearly lied about the HST. When asked during the election, you said, ” we will not be implementing the HST” and now look at what’s happened.
Maybe, just maybe a civil servant who has a conscience will come out with the truth.
With the technology we have in place now, it only makes sense that you and Brother Gordo did know about the implementation of the HST. All you did was wait until you won the election.
In my view, you, Gordo and the rest of your arrogant cohorts lied to the people of BC. The outcome of the election might have been very different otherwise.
Thanks for standing up with us Bill. I live on a disability pension, so that means that my funds are well spoken for. Any further tax on those things that I do purchase will become a hardship and I cannot believe that our government is penalizing all of us in these hard times. This is underhanded on the part of Campbell and his cronies, and needs to be stopped in its tracks.
This Horrible Stupid Tax MUST be stopped. We are already being taxed to death. Those on fixed income should NOT be asked to subsidize a large business tax decrease. If Mr. Campbell wishes to help big businesses he can exempt them from the current PST. I am disppointed that a supposedly conservative federal government would bribe BC to have an HST. Are they ignorant that this will HIT the average tax payer BIG TIME or are the willfully taxing us? In either case their involvement with this HST makes me wonder if I should ever vote for them again.
STOP THE HST AND OTHER THINGS.
I support your action Bill, and I am 100% behind you. Premier Gordon Campbell and his government has dissapointed me, to say the least, time and time again. It’s time to have a fresh start for BC.
Guenter Rieger
Armstrong, BC
Did Campbell’s Liberal Government Deceive the People?
By Stephen J. Gray
“Leadership requires for people to be up front.”
Gordon Campbell, Premier of B.C. during televised debate.
Was Gordon Campbell “upfront” before the election about bringing in the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)? I believe the answer is NO. So what kind of “leadership” are we getting from this guy?
Journalist, Kent Spencer, in the Province newspaper of July 28, 2009 said,
“The Liberals provided written statements during the spring campaign to restaurant owners and home builders that they had ‘no plans’ to implement the controversial HST.”
Journalist, Michael Smyth writing in the Province of August 9, 2009 in his article headlined, “How a GST rebel turned into the HST thief” wrote this,
“Remember back when Gordon Campbell was a tax-fighter? The guy who said your money was better off in your own pocket than in the slush funds of government?
Now he’s the guy who loves the GST so much that he’s merging our provincial sales tax with it and slamming it on dozens of PST-exempt goods and services….
Oh, how the worm has turned! Now he is the tax-grabbing politician turning a deaf ear to the people.”
I believe he is doing more than “turning a deaf ear to the people,” he is going to confiscate more of our hard earned money and savings. But hey, we are told it’s “revenue neutral.” Yeah sure, there is nothing “neutral’ about another tax grab by tax hungry, less than truthful politicians. Why did he not have the courage to bring this HST before the people during the election campaign? Was he afraid he would be defeated? Did he care more about deceiving the people to get their vote, rather than being honest with them on the election trail?
Journalist Tom Fletcher writing in the Abbotsford News of August 12, 2009 had this to say, “Much has been written about Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen’s bald-faced effort to convince voters that they had a sudden conversion to a harmonized sales tax after the election. This is just as believable as Hansen’s last fart in the elevator….”
I believe this harmonized tax smells of polluted politics, and the people getting suffocated are the taxpayers of BC. We need a mechanism to rid us of untrustworthy politicians who say one thing then do another. Politicians should have to sign a conditions of employment, and if they violate it, they should be instantly dismissed. Waiting four years for another election should not be an option. If you deceived your employer at work you would be fired on the spot; therefore, the people should be able to fire politicians when they deceive them. They are supposed to serve the people, but instead make the people into tax paying serfs. HST may be the name politicians call it to make it sound nice, but the people are not in agreement with it. The real name of this regressive tax is Hit the Suckers Tax (HST) and people are fed up being played for suckers by deceitful politicians.
Stephen J. Gray
August 16, 2009.
Honest leadership as you Bill demonstrated to us is again a need for BC. Bill Vander Zalm was a leader in BC, Gordon Campbell and associates ONLY feeding from BC. Without being personal, but what people can except from Gordon Campbell and friends. He, Gordon Campbell, is doing his best to his abilities, but his abilities are limited. The time for an honest provincial government is long overdue. Proposing the HST during a recession reflects his, Gordon Campbell’s, incompetence. Working together and standing up what we believe will enables us to remove Gordon Campbell and friends from office.
I support your actionBill.If this bill goes ahead the liberals will not get my vote next term Thanks Gordon Campbell.
I have been emailing the Liberal mla’s to tell them what I think of their latest pack of lies, I have also emailed all of my contacts and asked them to pass on the fact that mla’s email addresses and telephone numbers are listed in the blue pages of the telephone directory. I urge everyone to contact Gordon Campbell and all of his liberal yes-men and yell at them, they HATE that. the mnore people that are contacted the better. Get out and help collect signatures, help organize. If we all pitch in we can force them to reverse the HST proposal, remember it is not yet law and it is NOT a done deal, regardless of what they say.
HOW MUCH MORE WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE FROM PREMIER GORDON CAMPBELL?
FIGHT the HST with Bill Vander Zalm. The meeting in Vernon with Bill was excellent. The HST will hurt many people like seniors, restaurants, hotels, farming and the list goes on and on. We still remember the Carbon Tax, CUT in health care, CUT of many senior programs, $65,000 pay increase for Premier Gordon Campbell (now $182.000 a year), We have to work together to be able to send a strong message to our Premier and MLA. Big question: Is it legal to sign over provincial taxation right over to the Federal government. The HST was never mention during the last election which was just a few months ago. I call it ELECTION FRAUD.
Hi r.e. nyirfa,
If you look under the MLA tab at the top right of this page you will also find a direct email link to each MLA listed.
Hi Cheryl
I just did some quick calculations and if 1 person e-mailed 10 people and those 10 people each e-mailed 10 people and they did the same. If each person sent emails, within a few days there COULD be over 1000,000 e-mails sent to Gordon Campbell and his MLA’s.
Imagine what that could do to their main source of communication???. It would, to say the least, make them sit up and take notice.
Yeah, but I think they’re already noticing
Couldn’t agree more…seems almost any Minister on the news with a soundbyte even remotely connected to this issue has a severe case of “nervous quaver” in their voices…Hanson almost sounded near to tears in several bytes, Krueger as well last night…question is, when will the Backbenchers grow a spine?
Will someone please tell the NDP that the rally is at Canaduh Place, not the Art Gallery as is on both Bill Teilman’s blog and Carole James’ Facebook page. Honestly, these people want to run BC.
ELECTION FRAUD YES or no?
Mr. Colin Hanson, Finance minister of BC, nominated for storyteller award 2009. Numbers regarding financial shortcomings must be knows by the BC Liberal experts before the election. If the BC Liberals would be honest and released the known facts before the election, including implementation of the HST, they may had a difficult time to got reelected. ELECTION FRAUD YES or NO?
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE LIBERAL PARTY OF BC.
Class action lawsuit against the BC Liberals, the only option to replace politicians. If you tell a lie to get elected you don’t deserve to be there. What has Gordon Campbell done and is BC Liberals.
They mislead the voters of BC. Let’s get organized and get the ball rolling before they make more damage to BC.
Talk about communism,Russia is trying to go into Capitalism and we’re going the other way!!!!!!!!!!! Give yourself a raise and then look for a method to get it??????? So the public suffers!!!!! What a rip!!!
This is my first post in the politics section. Why I am so against the H.S.T. you ask?
- it hurts the small to medium income families (like mine)
- it’s another 7% that I don’t have to spare
- once here, it will be here to stay (no going back)
- I’m worried that I won’t have enough to make ends meet, as it’s difficult enough as is.
Dear: Mr. Gordon Campbell & All MLAs,
I don’t make the income you do and I can’t afford the H.S.T.!
CLASS ACTION LAW SUITE against CAMPBELL and… to be a part of Class Action BC write to ClassActionBC@aol.com to sign in for further actions.
Gordo and his boys are very busy trying to sell off this province to outside interests. Now they find time to really drive out any BCer who does not make a million in income, by hitting us with this Horrendously Stupid Tax! He does not and never has cared for the working class in BC. Wake up, people, and DON’T vote for him! Recall the whole government for lying to us!
1. This is not a ‘revenue neutral’ intitiative in the style the Libs touted for other things. It is a cash grab.
2. The feds (my own MP) deny they are using cash incentives to get the Prov to do this – but they clearly are.
3. If HST is an efficient stream-lining of the tax system why do the savings not result in a lower tax?
4. If this administration cannot run things efficiently then put them on notice. Their days are numbered. Too bad – I did not want another election.
5. We could support a 10% flat tax. I strongly suspect they are going to drop it to 11% in the last few days just to sell it – but it will still be wrong.
For generations people living All over he globe have been suffering from poverty, famine and disease. At home for generations Canadians have been getting taxed increasingly more often and nevermore so then here In British Columbia. HST has seemed to be the lime light that patrons of this vast land have gazed upon in recent months. Will this bill pass and cause citizens problems? Many believe that the current tight rope on we the citizens wallets is far more then it should be, we struggle day to day. Some single families have difficulty starting a life that will lead to value in there future. Many of our youth have resorted to criminal means due to poverty and abuse which is a variable of poverty. People are born with feelings and we do so until we die, when things go wrong we suffer, when we suffer to much we fall. We’ve seen it on TV with the rise in violent crimes in North America. Those are people falling through the cracks in our society and economy. SO now we hear that Cambell feels the new HST is good for BC. I don’t who he is, none of you really do. He may see it as necessary for the future of BC, he may be wrong. Taxes are far to high and its not only in Taxes do we feel the grip of living in a market economy but it is seen in Bank fee’s. Bank Fee’s were introduced only to help pay for the new equipment it received in the 80′s or 90′s. Since then I am sure it is payed off and instead of charges going down they go up. Your Bank Profits off you. Now lets talk bills like Hydro and Gas. It seems everything Vital to a happy cozy canadian living is getting far to expensive to continue. Many people I know have switched from Gas to Wood Stove. Wood Stoves provide great heat, but tree’s are also needed and it is becoming difficult to get your own, unless you have found a dealer. Hydro confuses me? Its a free energy is it not, yes it costs to maintain but I think then that they can ask for the govt to step in and pay some cash, it brightens their rooms also. Cut the Costs of Living, Stop taking Nice respectable peoples money and throwing it away. Let us all Decide on our future and escape this system where we argue back and forth about things that will not Insure the future of are people. It seems we are getting close to the moment where we decide if we work together or Fall apart.
Fight With Shawn, To free you Neighbor.