To the Editor,
Re: HST decision a waiting game, Opinion, Aug. 9.
Who did their best to muddy the facts ? Did you listen and watch the radio and TV advertisements?
I quote, “If you want to return to paying 12 per cent PST plus GST vote no”.
I ask, when in B.C.’s history did we pay 12 per cent PST plus GST?
And this was supposed to be the neutral camp.
As for the working of the question, why was it made deliberately complex? Since when do we vote with a positive response to accomplish a negative action?
That brings us to the question: why do we need a referendum anyway?
The HST was brought in with a backroom deal between two B.C. politicians and the federal government.
When the taxpaying public raised a fuss, B.C. government had three options:
u ignore the fuss and hope it would go away. It was very clear very early that was not going to happen. The ultimate result would have been political suicide in the next provincial election.
u Send it to the legislature and have a public-scrutinized debate and recorded vote. The ultimate result would have been the same as above.
u Send the HST issue to referendum and abandon their responsibility for which they were elected and collect their paycheques.
Never in B.C.’s history have we had such an impotent government in power that will not make tax-legislation decisions.
Regardless of the results of the referendum, the Liberals will smugly announce that the public made the decision, and here are the consequences.
At that point they will create legislation to fit the circumstance – something they should have done in the first place.
Charlie D. Anderson
Nanaimo