It is true that any jackass can get elected and screw up their public relations. We can all agree on that. It has been done everywhere and for eternity. The question is not "are they jackasses this time?". Gordo, Christy, VanderZ, Ralph Klein, GeorgeW. I don't care whose face is on TV pissing me off and taking my tax money. That is irrelevent.
The question is "is the tax system fair and will it help create jobs?"
Do rich people consume more? Yes. Does that dick in the new Mercedes pay more for it than you in your truck. Yes. He'll pay more sales/HST than you, and more than he did before. Previously he got PST free tax laywer and tax accountant advice, deducted the cost of his stuff (car, hockey tickets, scotch at the golf club and his AGM in Mexico) and paid little/no income tax. You however, likely did your own tax or got H&R to do it and you likely got a little tax "refund", but most of your T4 deductions you never saw again. Now that Mercedes guy will pay HST on his tax advice, plus more for his car. He'll likely still pay little to no income tax, but he'll pay a larger slice of the tax BC collects.
The low earners will get HSTC refunds every quarter (more than the old GST credit cheques. They'll also have lower income tax that if there was no sales tax, and they'll be more likely to get a job with a co that previously would not consider locating here because the PST was a joke that would drive their costs up.
Everyone will save on the BC government administration of PST and exemptions, and business having to dick around with two sets of tax records and keeping track of a mountain of special interest crap related to the oddball exemptions here under PST. So far the tax dept has let go about 100 auditors and PST registration staff with another 100+ to go over the next year or so. Their office space is given up and all their pensions, operating costs etc are gone. This will save the province$$$.
Don't get me wrong. I lived in Alberta and loved having no PST. That would be great to save that $ again. Unfortunately BC doesn't have oilsands gushing out its butt like they do. They are not political or budget geniuses there. They are just lucky for now until the oil & gas runs out. I don't miss the toxic smog belching from their refineries by the way.
Oh yeah, the Alberta oil co's invading the Dawson Creek/Fort St John area taking our coalbed methane gas etc are paying some lease money and gas royalties on paying wells, but PST- no (exempt on manufacturing and processing equip). Oilfield services (exempt of PST). Income tax - no( head offices Calgary and sending gas there). Under HST they will stop raping our province and start paying a decent share. They are using our province and resources. The HST will keep some of that resource related money here in BC. That's not the "little guy". That's "big oil" that under HST will pay a bigger share to BC.
Perhaps we could use some of that money to try to monitor & protect some of the local water supply that they are draining to water flood and fracture the gas wells with in conjunction with millions of litres of diesel and other solvents pumped into the earth. Use up the surface water, then contaminate the ground water. Good job big oil! Thanks for visiting beautiful BC. Check this out
http://www.bctwa.org/FrkBC-Apache-BiggestFrack.pdf
Read. Learn. Ask an expert. Vote with your head.Don't just shoot the jackass because he pissed you off.
The stick man campaign is just a better late than never way of communicating the change that they should have done before.
