As the campaign for voters’ hearts and minds in the HST referendum reaches its final stage, most of us have heavy hearts.
It can’t be doubted that some of the confusion comes from a chorus of raised voices who accost us daily.
Do we trust Fight HST organizer Bill Vander Zalm? Do we believe his claim that going back to the GST/PST will balance the budget sooner, as well as save taxpayers $2 billion? Do we believe the NDP’s claim that going back to the GST/PST will balance the budget sooner, as well as save taxpayers $2 billion?
Finance Minister Kevin Falcon has attacked NDP leader Adrian Dix for faulty math, saying the 10 per cent HST rate promised by the Liberals by 2014 is clearly less than the 12 per cent GST/PST rate championed by Dix. Falcon also wonders where the money will come from to fix the $3 billion hole extinguishing the HST would create?
In the current believability stakes, the Liberals come off as popular as a teen who — not content with taking the family car without permission and wrapping it around a tree — now presents us with the repair bill and a sanctimonious lecture on vehicle maintenance.
Should we believe advertiser-conscious media pundits — who say that what’s good for business is good for the rest of us? While businesses may get a break with the HST, how many have passed savings on to the public? They can’t survive on tax breaks alone. The key to business success must be consumers with enough disposable income to buy their goods.
The average taxpayer might be forgiven for wondering if someone will give us a straightforward and honest answer.
— Peace Arch News
