XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
   From: Canuck57@nospam.com   
      
   On 30/03/2010 6:02 PM, cognomen@domus.ca wrote:   
   >> 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.   
      
   Quite true.  Pick some of the ring leaders of the leglistation and make   
   examples of them.  Assertion of voters rights.  BC has the right of recall.   
      
   Real problem comes in less than 1/3rd the people in BC work in   
   productive jobs, that is not government, not welfare, not EI, not   
   hangers, not junkies, not retired, not children.  Yep, non-government   
   wage earners are a minority these days.  The rest want big taxes for big   
   government.   
      
   --   
   --------------   
   Politicians don't provide anything, the tax payers do.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)