Dear editor,
Is the HST for me?
I asked this question when faced with how to vote on the upcoming HST referendum.
Oh yes, I have seen the ads stating the HST is good for business, good for jobs, and good for government. Yes, it will provide our government with much needed funds to provide services.
Here is another simple fact of the HST: families will pay more!
Why is that?
Because more things‚– like school supplies, textbooks, and teenager's clothing, even non-prescription drugs ‚– are taxed.
Families that struggle will now be paying HST on second-hand clothing as Thrift Stores will now have to charge HST.
None of these are luxury items, but the very essentials families need to ensure their children get a good start in life. All of these items were PST exempt, remember?
Should Premier Clark continue with her plan to reduce the HST to 10 per cent in 2012 that will help families, right?
Under a 10 per cent HST individuals will pay $1.3 billion more and business and corporations will pay $1.9 billion less.
The one-time-only rebate promised for families will not ever cover the costs of the tax increase.
HST is not just a harmonized tax, it’s a
tax shift.
The lion's share of taxes will be paid by individuals and families ‚ many of who struggle to make ends meet‚while corporations will not pay their fair share.
So I am voting YES to extinguish the HST.
I would encourage all citizens to do the same.
Shirley Ackland
Port McNeill