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BC HST to Referendum?

14 February 2010 22 Comments

The anti HST protest movement in BC had a monumental success today. British Columbia’s Chief electoral officer has granted the anti-HST coalition the approval to launch a petition against the tax.  Electoral Chief Harry Neufeld, says beginning April 6 former BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm will have three months to collects signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in each of B.C.’s 85 electoral districts.  If this petition is successful the proposed BC HST Tax will be put to a public vote.

If a referendum is called the HST in British Columbia could be struck down. It will be interesting to see whether the Ontario anti-HST movement will achieve the same level of success.

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22 Comments »

  • jason said:

    I wanted this to happen but really never thought it would. This is democracy at work. The people have spoken about BC HST.

  • Marjorie Nelson said:

    Where and when can I sign this petition!!

  • Diana Raffan said:

    Where do I sign up? It’s about time we actually got a say instead of being bullied by government. I own a small business and the government’s argument that it will benefit small business is nothng but smoke and mirrors. Let Democracy reign!
    I really appreciate the efforts of the people who are making this happen.
    Diana

  • les braden said:

    ABsolutely there should be a referendum and the HST should be scrapped. It penalizes the consumer and benefits large corporations. It is not acceptable to levy this tax on bc and Campbell should also be scrapped for his betrayal of BC residents. He’s a two face incompetant who should be shamed out of office publicly. I endorse a referendum and refusal to accept or pay the hst. People should take to the streets in protest if the tax isnt repealed.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick said:

    We need to get the BC Liberals out of office as soon as possible. The HST is just one of many short-sighted, mean and undemocratic actions taken by these clowns. We need a referendum on the HST followed by a recall movement to rid us this incompetant premier and his mindless right-wing ideology.

    Please let me know where I can volunteer to help in any way possible.

  • Dave Budgell said:

    I’m cautiously optomistic about democracy prevailing and this coalitions success in defeating the HST. There is no way this tax can benifit the blue collar worker in this province or single parents trying to raise a family.
    I don’t know who these politicians are listening to but they need to give their heads a shake.
    After the recession many of us have just experienced and are continuing to experience the last thing we need is another tax grab to help pay over-compensated bureaucrats filling up at the trough at our expense.
    Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, I have a feeling this will be Campbell’s last run in Victoria after this.
    You should be ashamed of yourself Mr. Campbell!

  • Fred Johnston said:

    I think the public has been duped by the anti-government groups and have been blinded from seeing the actual reality by the mere mention of the scary tax word. Listen up and be informed properly everybody and make sure you completely understand both sides of an issue and not just the ones who are the most sensational. This taxation change can and will result in savings for everyone.

    As an accountant and business owner, I can tell you that having the current two taxes have been a tremendous cost overhead that we have no other choice than to pass on to our customers. If we can reduce our costs, we can and will pass these savings on to our customers. The public will get cheaper products and services as a result.

    So everybody, please, before you jump on the next populist bandwagon, get informed and understand what you really are supporting.

  • Bruce McAra said:

    Fred Johnson – did you experience a big drop in prices when the GST was introduced? I know I didn’t. In fact it seemed prices went up, especially for things that were not previously taxible such as services.

    The biggest benefactor of this change will be the resource industries. Companies like Encana will take the tax savings back to Calgary to pay even higher salaries to executives.

    This is not so much a tax as wealth redistribution from consumers to businesses.

  • N Andrew said:

    Why do they say this HST will benefit us in the long run? I don’t see how. Most people, particularly retired, are on a fixed income and cannot afford any more taxes. We are being duped and need to fight this unfair tax. Where do we sign this petition, will it be available province wide?

  • Kris Be said:

    Absolutely there should be a Referendum and the HST should be scrapped. It penalizes the consumer people and benefits large corporations.
    It is not acceptable to levy super red-tax on BC and all 666 should also be scrapped for betrayal of the people in BC, Canada.

    # 2 Referendum; demand $75 billion bailout robbery to be payed back to the Canadian people, by the bankster with interest:

    Canada’s 75 Billion Dollar Bank Bailout:

    The $64 Billion Federal Budget Deficit is intended to Finance Canada’s Chartered Banks
    Quote:

    No Parliamentary Debate

    http://www.rabble.ca/comment/983720/Canadas-75-Billion-Dollar

    Canada’s 75 Billion Dollar Bank Bailout;
    The $64 Billion Federal Budget Deficit is intended to Finance Canada’s Chartered Banks;

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12007

  • J Paterson said:

    Never thought I would ever be in the same boat as VanderZalm. Move over Bill! Let me take the oars!

  • K Martinson said:

    Why don’t we start laying off nurses and doctors right now, and next year close down a few operating rooms? Taxes fund health care and education.

  • lyall downey said:

    I LIVE IN abbotsford where do i go to sign the petition against the hst

  • lyall downey said:

    where do i go to sign the petition agaist the hst.ie loation

  • Rose-Anne said:

    To K Martinson, giving more money to our government to misspend is not the answer.

    To Fred Johnston, most small businesses do their own tax remittances of Gst and Pst so they will Not be realizing this tremendous savings you speak of.

    I own a small business and as of July 1st there will not be any savings for me to pass on to my customers, I used to charge 5% for my service now it has to be increased to 12% come July.

  • B Mann said:

    To Rose-Anne, everything you buy for your business, paper, pens, staples, office furniture, computers, etc. all are currently taxable to you at 7% pst. You do not get it back, it is your expense. So you have to charge your customers more to make it back. With the HST you will claim it as input tax credits so it is not a cost to you. Your business expenses will imediately decrease. You can now decrease what you charge your customers and still make the same amount of money for your business. If you react quicker than your competitors you can maybe increase how much business you do. Plus you only have to file one form inseated of two, so you can spend more time dealing with your customers.

  • Bruce said:

    I don’t have to charge my customers now for my services> I will lose business from people who think this extra 7% is just enough to make them try and do it themself or just do without.

  • Cliff Moffat said:

    If our “fearless leader” Gordo is so sure that the HST is so beneficial for the BC economy and “us BC`ers”,why doesn`t he let it go to a referendum,then if it is successful,he would have the devine blessing of the voters? Something smells bad in this kitchen!!!

  • Shawn said:

    I’m going to register to vote just for the HST. Down with this tax, I eat out every day.

  • Eric said:

    I can’t believe this is happening. Enough of the “Fiberals”. I hope anyone didn’t think for one second that this wasn’t going to go to a referendum in September of 2011. By this time they will have the coffers full of the money that they have been collecting for about a year and a half. I can’t believe the additional cost and strain this HST has already put on our family budget. Everyone get out there and vote and if you are not a registered voter, please register ASAP.

  • francine said:

    I am moving to BC and when I heard they added HST I was really disappointed. In New Brunswick, where you pay taxes through the nose and it’s still a poor province with the lowest wages…no jobs…no doctors…no nothing…. it changed nothing !!! The only thing is that the fat cats get more money. They added it in Quebec as well…Quebec is the most in debt province and guess how much coruption there is…the real mafia. Don’t let it happen to BC !!! Fight…cause I am moving up there (lol).

  • PAUL said:

    can you beleive how currupt devisive and contraditory elected officials have gotten so christy an M.L.A. CAN AND HAS OFFICIALY reduced an fedral tax statute from 12% to 10% if you vote no to something that harper bribed our reps with an 2 billion dollar blank cheuque . So now we have to say yes when we mean no to something we dont want did not ask for and had norepresentation in before or after the fact so the money will be used to provide better health cars which we wont get anymore as equalization payments The bribe is going to provide 15000 high paying jobs and in 10 years were going to pay back 20 billion dollars Taxation without representation was the wedge and the sword for the war of 1812 People have to be aoountable and taking money from people with a lie is theft and even if the no,s get a yes this form of governance is going to choke the legal system with law suites and black marketing If the yes vote wins the next goverment should use the 2 billion dollars to startup an hybred car manufacturing plant and start utilizing to 20000 tons of copper the Britannia mine is dumping into an open pit land fill. This yes win will not change anything in goverment as long as the pubic sevice stands behind an self created law that holds officials not accountable for what they do while serving as elected representitives this is what has to change before anythingelse.

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