To the Editor,
Re: Pro-HST arguments can be ridiculous, Letters, June 14.
According to Serge Vaillancourt, the factual information provided in my letter, (FightHST spreading tax misinformation, June 11) is “ridiculous”. And apparently, he also feels that, “Unions represent the people most negatively affected by the HST.”
In that regard, I wish to convey to him that I understand from lawyer David Robertson, who is an expert on sales tax and the HST, that he contacted Canadian Autoworkers Union economist Jim Stanford for his opinion on the harmonized sales tax.
Apparently, Stanford advised him that he hoped the HST wasn’t one of those issues that should be a no-brainer, but gets held up solely because of politics.
As a consumer who is not a business owner, I empathize with Vaillancourt’s concerns. However, the question on the referendum ballot relates to a public policy matter that not only affects each British Columbian, it affects the economic future of the province.
I would hope that emotion does not overtake logic when deciding whether or not to retain the HST. We are all in this together.
Janet Irvine
Nanaimo