Mr. Foster, please help your constituents with the HST math. First the provincial government told us that the HST would be revenue neutral, but it turned out to generate more tax dollars. So much more that you were able to promise us that you could reduce it by one per cent and then another one per cent over the next two years.
When B.C. voters exercised their democratic rights and directed your government to eliminate the HST, a two-year timeline was put in place.
Now you are telling us that there needs to be serious cutbacks to ministerial departments because there is no money. But, cutting services to British Columbians is not punishing them. It is the natural consequence for not accepting an ‘almost revenue neutral’ tax that was not even contemplated by the then premier and government two months before an election. I guess there goes any hope in getting financial help to staff and equip those two much needed floors in the new tower.
So help, if more money was coming in before the referendum, and the source of the money is not going away for two years, where are those tax dollars going? How many stadiums require roofs? Is the provincial government contemplating no consumption taxes for British Columbia?
Please do the math for us, so we know how much we will have to tighten our belts.
Craig Leverman
Vernon
