Editor:
Today’s question facing British Columbians, in their yes or no vote for the HST or PST/GST, is whether to vote yes to return to the old dual tax system of PST/GST, or vote no to keep the HST.
The government has said it will reduce the HST to 10 per cent at some future date, and is offering somewhat of a cash refund, as fish bait, to both seniors and parents with children — fishing where the government hopes the majority of the population will bite.
There are a lot of reasons for us to strongly consider voting yes to getting rid of the HST.
Most people are still not sure the true cost of the HST, and possibly this lack of knowledge will affect the X they put on their ballot.
Prior to HST one could spend, say, several thousand dollars renovating or building a home and not pay any, repeat any, provincial tax on the labour for that work.
With HST, in addition to the base GST, we are now required to spend another $700 included in the HST for every $10,000 of labour costs.
Not only is this tax being levied on the labour for renovations but as well it is being levied on all of our hired labour costs, including the thousands of others, of the many hired repairs that we might require in any given year.
So even after the government reduces the HST to 10 per cent, we are still going to be paying $500 for every $10,000 of our yearly combined hired labour costs that we never had to pay on labour prior to the advent of HST.
Work under the table?
Forget it. Professionals had to be and were registered for GST, and like it or not automatically became registered HST tax collectors.
Regardless of any refund, or even a 10 per cent HST, with HST and this so-called carbon tax, we are ultimately being taxed to the max just to survive in B.C.
What is needed in B.C. is management, not more taxes.
Doug Wilson
Williams Lake
