It may seem difficult to place the facts ahead of the emotion in the HST debate.
There is little to like about a government that sprang a major shift in taxation policy without warning, almost immediately after an election campaign that failed to mention said shift.
And it鈥檚 easy to see the reduced version of the HST that Premier Christy Clark announced this week as both opportunistic and manipulative.
But here is the important distinction some seem to be forgetting: in both cases above, anger is best directed not at the tax, but at the government that implemented it.
When carrying a loaded gun around one must take care not to shoot oneself in the foot. And we are concerned blindly shooting down the HST this summer may do exactly that.
Killing the HST was always going to take away a competitive advantage for the B.C. economy, and put B.C. taxpayers on the hook for $1.6 billion in transition money that would have to be repaid to Ottawa. And now that the tax rate is just 10 per cent, killing it will also take about $120 out of your own pocket.
Ultimately, separating emotion and fact is a simple matter of not confusing the 10 per cent HST you are being asked to vote on in June with the government that snuck its 12 per cent predecessor into place.
Take a look at the 10 per cent HST and consider what it does for yourself, your family, and your community, compare it to the impact of returning to the old GST/PST system, and then make your referendum vote based solely on its merits.
Then some time later this year, when we inevitably go to the polls, take a look at the Liberal government. Look at its policies, its promises and, most particularly, its record.
And, again, place your vote accordingly.
鈥� Cowichan News Leader Pictorial
