HST or PST check out this link..too long for me to post

When Liberals brought the HST in, they did not lower our personal tax rate, they kept it the same.
You can say that's better than an increase, but don't worry if the HST stays
you will see personal tax rates increase as the HST decreases.
 
The HST is added to everything. The old system did not have that. Food, bicycles, saftey supplies and many other things did not have gst on them, this gets us every time we buy something....leagally....
 
The HST is added to everything. The old system did not have that. Food, bicycles, saftey supplies and many other things did not have gst on them, this gets us every time we buy something....leagally....

That's true... HST is added at 12% (to be reduced to 10%), however you no longer pay PST and GST (7%+5%=12%)

Food still does not have HST on it (unless it's restaurant or snack food). Seems like a good way to encourage people to eat healthier.... How often do people buy bicycles and safety supplies?
 
When Liberals brought the HST in, they did not lower our personal tax rate, they kept it the same.
You can say that's better than an increase, but don't worry if the HST stays
you will see personal tax rates increase as the HST decreases.

Personal income taxes have been steadily lowered by the BC LIbs since they came into government. Today personal taxes in BC are significantly lower than under the previous NDP government, making BC taxes the second lowest in all of Canada!
 
According to the govt the HST would transfer 2.2 billion anually in tax burden from business to average joes. IMO there is already enough corporate welfare and tax dodges available. As far as the rate going to 10%, well maybe it will and maybe it won't. Personally I too have mixed feelings but it may come down to being a contrarian, whatever Christy Crunch wants me to do, I may do the opposite.
 
B.C'S economy has been somewhat insulated against the recession but i certainly wouldn't credit that to the HST.
Personally i don't enjoy paying an extra 5% every time i but a vehicle or boat.
Nor do i enjoy paying additional 7% every time i pay my cable bill,eat at a restaurant, pay the vet, buy a newspaper, or renovate my home, to name just a few.

If it is a private sale on a vehicle or a boat you do not pay HST, you pay 12% PST. The Liberals snuck that one in without much notice and I doubt it would change with a reversion to PST/GST.
 
You got it Onefish: today's news,

"Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair says the Clark government’s so-called information campaign on the HST is poorly disguised advertising to persuade British Columbians to keep the HST. Sinclair suggests corporations are the big winners if we keep the HST while the people of B.C. will pay much more in taxes if the HST is kept."

"The Federation’s analysis shows corporations will avoid paying as much as $2 billion a year in taxes under the HST while the people of B.C. will pay $1.3 billion a year more than they currently do under the PST."

To see the Federation’s Stickman videos visit: www.HSTinBCFacts.ca

Adios HST!
 
The thing that ticks me off is that I run a charter business and we now have to charge 12% HST instead of just 5% GST. A $1000 charter adds $70 to it !! This for sure will create another underground economy. Tourism Vancouver announces on the news 2 weeks back that the HST is good for tourism - maybe the businesses but hosing the tourist ! I understand the accountants point of view and the business point of view as now they only file one form and pay HST on purchases and apply for the input tax credit on the other end but what about this tax that is (has) been thrust on the backs of the average person. If they were to drop the tax from 12% to 10% right after the vote I might vote for it. Right now I don't know !!
 
Bighog, don't forget that the vast majority of part time charter guys never collected the GST and now don't collect the HST. They claim not to be making over the $30,000 which allows them to opt out of collecting. So get ready for the first question to be do you charge the tax followed by any cheaper for cash. Not fair, a product is either taxable or it isn't...who you buy it from shouldn't be a factor at all. This is my only real problem with the HST.
 
Bighog, don't forget that the vast majority of part time charter guys never collected the GST and now don't collect the HST. They claim not to be making over the $30,000 which allows them to opt out of collecting. So get ready for the first question to be do you charge the tax followed by any cheaper for cash. Not fair, a product is either taxable or it isn't...who you buy it from shouldn't be a factor at all. This is my only real problem with the HST.

As an operator regardless of the amount made you have always had the option to charge GST and in turn apply for the input tax credit on the GST paid by that operator to basically null the tax. Each operator has to decide whether he wants to offer "deals" to avoid collecting the tax. My beef is that the rate is 12% and I am sure some clients who didn't realize the amount that the new tax would be may decide not to take a charter in the future! We need to charge and collect tax for this service but come on !! At the end of the day the tax will be voted in and we are just here venting about it and we can really do nothing about it !
 
The polling (~2 weeks ago) indicated that 54% were voting to get rid of the HST and 46% were in favor of it. Statistically thats a BIG difference so the HST will be defeated but just make sure you vote! You can do something about it.
 
My only beef with the HST was the way it was implemented and the whole slew of newly taxable items that weren't taxable before. Clearly it was not revenue neutral as proclaimed by the gov't. Usually when HST was brought in -in other provinces it was dropped a percent lower than the previous set of taxes so there wasn't the hew and cry that we had here. I also object to the anti-hst crowd who would try and lead you to believe that if we vote against HST we will get a better deal or no GST and PST. Who will repay the Feds the 1.6 billion dollars they gave B.C. to implement the HST? We will not pay less no matter what. I was all for the anti HST message when it first started- I wanted to send the Gov't a message-guess they heard it. I can stomach the single tax now if it is dropped up to 2 % by 2014-bearing in mind I personally think we are over-taxed, over-governed and under served!! My morning rant and now I will plan a fishing trip to Winter Harbour and get back to what really matters!!!
 
You guys should watch the video "Open Letter to Bill Vanderzalm" that was posted earlier. It's well done, and explains the economics of how the HST works. It also exposes lies the Fight-HST crowd are spreading with the simple facts -- it's worth the few minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXu3LXNwEg

I like the way he spells out people's emotional reaction to the HST at the beginning:

HST = Gordon Campbell
Gordon Campbell = Evil
therefore, HST = Evil

Oh, and then you have to watch Vanderzalm's rebuttal to the video (which by the way, he didn't watch): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO1NjpqWDIU&NR=1
 
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Bighog; Sorry but if you gross more than $30,000 per year you have no options...legally you must charge the (GST) now the HST. You only have a choice to opt out if you are under $30k. If you make more than that and you get audited, you will be paying it to them from your bank account. They will go back many years and average it out to s lump sum amount owing. There are some guys out there who stand to loose a lot if they get caught, because I know they are well over that limit each year.
 
Holmes it does cut down on tips in may cases. I call the HST the government tip when I collect it from my customers.
 
Don't think for a second that if the HST is voted out that we are going back to the old PST/GST. Those two taxes will be adjusted so there is no net difference between keeping or getting rid of the HST. They have to, the government is already creating budgets with that extra revenue in mind.
 
Battle of the Stickmen over HST Tax
Labour launches video parody, vowing to 'stick it' to pro-HST side.
By Robyn Smith, Today, TheTyee.ca
Good news for those who can't get enough of B.C.'s latest political meme, the HST ad-star "Stickman."

The BC Federation of Labour has released a parody video of the province's HST information ads, reframing Stickman from a misinformed skeptic of the harmonized sales tax, to a downright grumpy opponent.

It's part of a larger HST opposition campaign by the federation that's "based on the facts," according to B.C. Fed president Jim Sinclair............

http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2011/06/23/BattleOfStickmen/

[JFnh_6d1ioM] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFnh_6d1ioM&feature=related[KM1eTbzuJr4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM1eTbzuJr4&feature=related[tln8a7Lr8UE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tln8a7Lr8UE&feature=related
 
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