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HST (Harmonized sales tax): a new sales tax proposal in B.C.
Harmonized tax steals from the poor
Oceanside Star
Published: Thursday, August 06, 2009
THE EDITOR:
The issue of the HST continues to bother me. At a macro-level, it represents a significant tax cut for businesses. Businesses which do not receive a PST reimbursement will receive it going forward, eliminating a 7% burden. Further, it will simplify the administration of tax submission significantly, representing further savings. Businesses will be able to compete better at both a national and a global level.
With that being said, these tax cuts and savings are to be paid for by the poorest people in our society. It is a regressive tax, at its worst. Examples of the consumers who are impacted are everyone, but in the true nature of a regressive tax, the less you make the more it hurts. Examples of the small businesses that are negatively impacted are the tourist industry as a whole, the restaurant industry as a whole, and any small serviced-based companies.
The most obvious example is rent, which will go from a 5% tax base to a 12% tax base. Given our community's lack of affordable housing, this is a big deal. Even without this example, however, the impact of a regressive tax hike of this magnitude on the general population will have a measurable impact on disposable income, further impacting small local businesses.
If you are a fiscal conservative, in support of business as a whole, you should probably support this. If you are a fiscal conservative who supports our local economy first, and business as a whole second, you should come out in cautious opposition to this, as our local economy is made up of small enough businesses to fit in the group of negatively impacted business sectors that I mention above.
I, for one, am vehemently opposed to this legislation, and disgusted not only by the obvious "steal-from-the-poor-and-give-to-the-rich" that this represents, but also by the resignation and apathy in the population that believes itself powerless to stop the greedy rich from starving our families.
Gary Child,
Pacific Brimm
Truths about the new harmonized sales tax
Under the BC Provincial sales tax, the following items are not taxed, but after 1st July 2010, they will taxed at 7 precent. Will cost each household about $ 2100 per year!
haircuts
food (that is GST taxed presently)
heating bills
movie and theatre tickets
housing
funerals
vitamins
bicycles
magazine and newspapers
safety equipment
dry cleaning
airplane tickets
Most business will not have pay any of harmonized sales tax, because the government rebates the companies. Individuals will land up paying 1.9 billion dollars that business were paying.
The government proposes to introduce legislation in the 2010 spring siiting. If you don't like the HST, please sign petitions, write letters and protest.
Other articles about the proposed HST in BC
Describes planning of the province wide Citizen’s Initiative petition. HST opponents will have 90 days from April 6th to collect signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in each of BC's 85 electoral districts in order to force a referendum on the tax.
Wake up British Columbians!: The HST is the biggest tax shift from business to individuals ever!
HST gets ex-premier Vander Zalm hopping mad: 'Short of a revolt, we certainly need to make a huge protest'
New HST taxes meals, new homes and haircuts
B.C.'s other wildfire: HST anger aflame
Realtors no fans of HST
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