Dear editor,

In a Jan. 25 column, Tom Fletcher says the HST is the cure for inequality in British Columbia.

But few will agree with such a claim, given that the HST is a $1.9 billion tax shift onto the backs of consumers. According to Statistics Canada, the average household will pay $521 more under the HST.

A recent editorial from the international magazine The Economist (The Rich and the Rest, Jan. 22) 鈥� hardly a bastion of left-wing thought 鈥� makes the compelling case that the best way to combat inequality and increase mobility is by investing government resources in raising the standard of living for the middle and lower classes, particularly through education.

As the editorial

states, 鈥淥ddly, the urgency of these kinds of reform is greatest in rich countries, where prospects for the less-skilled are stagnant or falling.鈥�

The B.C. Liberal record for helping low- and middle-income earners is abysmal.

Middle-income families found that between 2001 and 2009, B.C. had the lowest growth in average hourly wages and the second-lowest growth in weekly wages in Canada.

Since 2001, the minimum wage has been stagnant at $8 per hour 鈥� the lowest in Canada 鈥� and job growth has been much slower.

If the B.C. Liberals really want to 鈥渃ombat inequality and increase mobility,鈥� then they鈥檒l stop wasting millions of dollars trying to convince us the HST is a good thing. Instead, they should raise the minimum wage, invest properly in education and stimulate job growth in a green economy.

Bruce Ralston

Editor鈥檚 note: Bruce Ralston is the new house leader of the B.C. NDP.