XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
      
   > On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:20:23 -0700,  wrote:   
   >   
   >>By Michael Smyth, The Province  -  March 30, 2010   
   >>   
   >>HST legislation could lead to Liberals' demise   
   >>   
   >>The provincial government is poised to introduce its HST implementation bill   
   as early as   
   >>today-- delivering on one of the most brazen broken promises in B.C.   
   political history.   
   >>   
   >>Don't forget the governing Liberals promised during the last election not to   
   bring in   
   >>the   
   >>hated 12-percent harmonized sales tax -- a commitment they made in writing   
   and delivered   
   >>to the very businesses the tax will hurt the most.   
   >>   
   >>One of those sectors was the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association,   
   which asked   
   >>the   
   >>Liberal Party directly what their position was on the HST. As we stand on   
   the brink of   
   >>this ignominious betrayal of B.C. voters, it's appropriate to revisit   
   exactly what the   
   >>Liberal position was on this tax: "While some British Columbians have   
   suggested that a   
   >>harmonized PST and GST might be beneficial, others have pointed out that it   
   would extend   
   >>the PST tax base to a broader range of goods and services that are presently   
   exempt from   
   >>provincial sales tax.   
   >>   
   >>"Such items that are currently PST-exempt include energy-efficient   
   appliances,   
   >>membership   
   >>fees for clubs and gyms, newspapers and magazines, taxi fares, restaurant   
   food and the   
   >>professional services of architects and accountants. This is a major concern.   
   >>   
   >>"The B.C. Liberals are also mindful that a harmonized GST would reduce the   
   provincial   
   >>government's ability to unilaterally adjust sales-tax rates. The harmonized   
   GST would   
   >>make   
   >>it harder for future provincial governments to lower or raise sales-tax   
   rates, which   
   >>reduces flexibility.   
   >>   
   >>"In short, a harmonized GST is not something that is contemplated in the   
   B.C. Liberal   
   >>platform."   
   >>   
   >>The exact same commitment was made in writing by the Liberals to the Greater   
   Vancouver   
   >>Home Builders Association: A major concern. An inflexible tax. Not   
   contemplated under a   
   >>Liberal government.   
   >>   
   >>Now, less than a year later, get set to have it rammed down your throat,   
   without a word   
   >>of   
   >>regret or an apology to the people who believed what they were told before   
   the election.   
   >>   
   >>Is it any wonder the Liberals have fallen as far as they have in the polls?   
   Getting   
   >>slammed with a $2-billion tax grab is bad enough. Getting slammed after   
   you've been   
   >>promised that it wouldn't happen is even worse.   
   >>   
   >>Could this betrayal of B.C. voters cost the Liberals in the next election?   
   Party   
   >>insiders   
   >>are worried, though they're hoping B.C. ers don't want NDP Leader Carole   
   James as   
   >>premier.   
   >>That might be true, but consider this: The once-mighty B.C. Conservative   
   Party is   
   >>starting   
   >>to attract some support on the political fringes. In a recent Angus Reid   
   poll, the B.C.   
   >>   
   >>Conservatives got 18-per-cent support in the north and eight per cent in the   
   Interior.   
   >>   
   >>That's not enough for the Conservatives to win an election, but it could   
   split the   
   >>right-wing vote in enough key ridings to help the New Democrats win crucial   
   seats.   
   >>   
   >>Former premier Bill Vander Zalm has taken his anti-HST petition drive to the   
   very   
   >>communities where the Libs are most vulnerable -- cities such as Prince   
   George, Dawson   
   >>Creek, Fort St. John and Castlegar.   
   >>   
   >>These are the places where an anti-HST grassroots brush fire could burn the   
   Libs. Now,   
   >>by   
   >>introducing their broken-promise HST bill in the legislature, they may be   
   authoring   
   >>their   
   >>own misfortune.   
      
      
   "gordo"  wrote in message   
   news:g1t4r5he6ogg4m00h5blor76cfrvl12eou@4ax.com...   
   > All true.It is just now being introduced into the legislature so the   
   > best thing that would happen is that we boot out the liars at the next   
   > election.   
      
      
   Thing is - British Columbians don't have to wait that long to solve the HST   
   issue.  If   
   enough signatures are gathered from each constituency, a REFERENDUM has to be   
   held to   
   decide the fate of the HST - no waiting for "the next election".   
      
   Let's bloody do it.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)