Fight HST organizers said pro-HST ads placed by the B.C. Liberal government are misleading, and they have filed a complaint.
In a related matter, Fight HST states it will ask Elections BC to rule if the ads are “fraudulent” as defined by the Elections Act.
Fight HST leader Bill Vander Zalm said he has also asked Elections BC to order an immediate halt to government Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) advertising while the independent office of the BC Legislature investigates the complaint.
According to Vander Zalm, the advertising refers to a 10 per cent planned reduction that may not happen is “blatantly misleading.”
Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett said she can’t comment on whether the advertising is actually misleading, but can only refer to the facts from her government’s finance ministry.
“I guess Mr. Vander Zalm and his colleagues, the NDP, don’t believe the government. I guess if he can prove it, he can prove it; I can only go by the facts.”
Vander Zalm’s complains the government advertising is deliberately misleading because it does not indicate the lower rate would not take effect for three years, and is also dependent on the current government both being re-elected and keeping its promises.
“British Columbians are being deliberately misled every day by government advertising that [stated] if they just vote ‘no’ in the referendum, the HST will magically become 10 per cent afterwards – that’s completely untrue and is intentionally deceiving voters.”
However, Barnett said if the referendum results in continuing with the HST, legislation has been passed in Ottawa requiring it to drop to 10 per cent on July 1, 2014.
If the HST remains by referendum, and were it not to decrease as promised within three years, she said the “government of the day” would have to go back to Ottawa for federal endorsement.
“The public will be aware of what is happening. But there’s also [procedures for] recall; there’s also referendum. I hope we will never have to go through that again, but this will make governments more accountable – the process we’ve just all gone through.”
Vander Zalm noted the B.C. Liberals’ ministry of finance is in charge of the HST campaign, including advertising, so it could, therefore, be the subject of a revised complaint.
“The government ads don’t tell the truth and are so blatantly misleading that no other advertiser could get away with such deception – and they are using more than $5 million taxpayer dollars to do it.”
Barnett explained she could not confirm or comment on the cost of the advertising, as that would have to come from the ministry.
The ministry of finance did not respond to requests for information by press time.
