HST Referendum

I took the time today to sign the anti-HST referendum. I am against the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) because I remember well what happened in 1991 when the GST (Goods and Services Tax) was implemented. As a business person who provided a service that was suddenly taxed, I was not very popular when I handed the customer the invoice at the end of the job. Many refused to pay it, and yet, I had to submit that tax, even if out of my own pocket. Then people got wise and offered to pay cash so I would not have to declare the income and therefore not tax it nor pay income tax on it. They told me it was a win/win situation. They assumed I was dishonest, which I was not. Soon, I had to build the GST into my service charge just in case they refused to pay, or they insisted on paying in cash. To this day, 19 years later, I still fight that sort of thing.

Now the tax that I have to collect (HST) will increase the tax line on my invoices by 120%! Is this going to be any easier? I know it will only make the underground economy flourish and encourage dishonesty. Besides that issue, which is huge, I am against any new taxes that are disguised as being good for us. Certainly having one tax instead of two will simplify matters for most businesses that were collecting both, but the cost of the GST only taxed part of the economy now suddenly goes up in price, everything from a haircut to a restaurant meal. There will be much resistance to the tax, especially in the beginning, and those of us who have to now charge the new tax will have a drop in business.

There was a steady flow of people lining up to sign the petition this morning. If they sign 10% of the voters in every political riding in the province, the Referendum and Recall legislation says that it must be considered by the sitting government. However, the bill also states that the sitting government is not under any obligation to enact the wishes of the petitioners. It is toothless, however, this will be a test for the Liberal Government as they have snubbed their noses at the public too often since they took office. I read yesterday that Randy White, the most popular Conservative politician ever, from our area, is spearheading a resurgence in the Provincial Conservative Party. Look out Gordon Campbell. A perfect storm is brewing.

One final thought. Most of the people lined up to sign the petition were grey haired. What does this tell us. 1. Bill Vanderzalm still has a large and loyal following (he is the former Provincial Premier who started this protest) 2. We should look to the wisdom of older more experienced citizens and if they see something sinister in the HST, perhaps there is something to pay attention to here. 3. Those grey hairs are living on fixed retirement incomes, mostly, and they know their consumer choices will decrease when the tax is enacted. They can no longer go out and earn extra money to make up for this added cost of living. It is a penalty on them, the folks who built this country. Shame on the tax collectors!