UPDATE - Over 400 people have already joined my Facebook protest group - NO BC HST - please sign up today and send Premier Gordon Campbell a strong message.
I need to be as alarmist as possible - the Harmonized Sales Tax is the biggest wealth transfer through taxation that we have ever seen, with big business shifting $1.9 billion in taxes paid through to individuals!
I've just posted a response to a few readers who complained about my earlier item on the HST - that taxes pay for public services and that the NDP is becoming an anti-tax party.
Of course taxes pay for public service - I support that.
But if you think the HST is an appropriate way to pay for public services you misunderstand completely what is happening with the HST!
But if you think the HST is an appropriate way to pay for public services you misunderstand completely what is happening with the HST!
And I hope to god that the NDP fight this outrageous tax all the way until Premier Gordon Campbell is forced to drop it.
I'll be writing on this Tuesday in 24 hours and the Tyee and of course here, but the short version is that this is the most enormous transfer of taxation from businesses to individuals we've yet seen!
It is also a highly regressive tax - that is, it disproportionately impacts lower income earners because far more of their limited income will be spent paying the tax.
A progressive tax increase would be far more desireable if a tax increase is needed to pay for public services. That way the burden falls more fairly on those with great income.
I'll be writing on this Tuesday in 24 hours and the Tyee and of course here, but the short version is that this is the most enormous transfer of taxation from businesses to individuals we've yet seen!
It is also a highly regressive tax - that is, it disproportionately impacts lower income earners because far more of their limited income will be spent paying the tax.
A progressive tax increase would be far more desireable if a tax increase is needed to pay for public services. That way the burden falls more fairly on those with great income.
And yet Premier Gordon Campbell had the nerve to say: "This is the single biggest thing we can do to improve B.C.'s economy."
Unbelievable!
Job creation? Give me a break! This is a pure tax grab and transfer.
Take restaurant meals - currently consumers pay no Provincial Sales Tax on the food portion - only on alcohol sales.
After the HST comes in, you will pay an extra 7% on the food - and guess what happens?
Restaurant sales go down. Servers and staff see reduced sales AND reduced tips.
Take my own consulting business West Star Communications - I currently am obliged to charge the 5% GST on services.
With the HST I will have to charge a massive 12% on services - an increase in taxation of more than 100% with no, repeat, no change in anything I or my clients do!
The same goes for architects, accountants and other professional services - every one of them has to charge an extra 7% - and guess who will pay?
The HST also applies to things as small as haircuts and as large as new homes.
The only benefits are for big businesses that can flow through the costs to their customers!
This doesn't even begin to cover my outrage with this Hansen Sales Tax, Horrible Sales Tax or whatever you call it.
The BC Liberals expressly rejected the idea of an HST during the last election - lying once again about their true intentions just like with the sale of BC Rail, the budget deficit and health care cuts.
And there has been zero, no, nada, nyet consultation with the public about even the idea of an HST - just a dictatorial imposition of an unfair tax!
I will be fighting this tax grab all the way - watch for a lot more here in the days, weeks and months ahead - and please join me!
40 comments:
Reposted
I suspect that Gordie may be having either, a rebellion and or mutiny on his hands over his HST brain fart idea, let alone the Libels BCR problems. I betcha, that by Wed July 29 this HST bullsh!t is dumped.
YOU WANTED YOUR DAMN OLYMPICS BC, NOW SPEND THE NEXT 20 YEARS PAYING & CHOKING ON IT !
The GREAT SATAN
yeah it's a tax grab.
taxes are bad.
and what would the ndp do differently?
BT wrote: "Take restaurant meals - currently consumers pay no Provincial Sales Tax on the food portion - only on alcohol sales.
After the HST comes in, you will pay an extra 7% on the food - and guess what happens?"
That is the exact argument that restaurant owners use against raising the minimum wage.
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Minister of Finance Colin Hansen: “The PST is an outdated, inefficient and costly tax, some of which is hidden in the price of goods and services and passed on to and paid by consumers” - July 23, 2009.
I wonder what happened in the 72 days since the election to convert the (dis)Honourable Hansen?
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Even the flaky accountants who once supported a "structural deficit" cannot deny this $2 BILLION wealth transfer to business at individual expense - but, I'm sure they'll try... for a price.
For the record: I support a "Made in BC" HST... not this horrific Harper $4!t Tax.
As Harvey Oberfeld writes, "Lying and Deceiving the Voters Works".
This freedom from 7% provincial tax is very good for the boys building high tech "run of the river" power generating stations and all the next generation sawmill operators who can automate and save both wages and taxes. Buy a machine, you get tax credits and rebates. Hire a human and you pay serious payroll taxes.
Our society is like a homeowner burning lumber torn from the structure to stay warm. Works for a while, saves someone money but ultimately leaves everyone standing in the cold.
My blog now renames the chief prevaricator: Premier Deceiver Campbell.
gordon campbell is a double dealing back stabbing mother folker is anyone surprised,every thing that was predicted is happening,you ain't seen nothing yet!we are going to pay a lot more for a lot less!First he stole it all now he'll sell it back to us,our greatest fear's are yet to come this guy's got no soul.
no wonder he has 24 hr police protection!
This guy's so out of touch with the average person he's lost all perception of fairness how the hell does he sleep at night no wonder he's setting up protest zones for the olyies let's give him a big surprise and wake up it's time to take to the street's ,I thought we learned our lesson with vanderscam,remember the old expo site we gave away to concord and then paid to clean it up which cost more than we got for the site have a look around,just imagine what that could have done for our social services, our parent's and grand parent's invested there lives in this province instead of our investment's bringing return to us via lower taxes,were forced to pay more, just as these investment's are ready to bring us a return they are turned over to lying cheating bastard's that have no morals go figure,no wonder we are in a sorry state,if these puke's are allowed to continue in this way with no opposition to anything they do it will continue, it's time to protest,on the lawn's of legislature,if they wont answer questions in our house and disrespect our house like that,imagine the contempt they feel for us!The time has come to rid our house of these pests,I can't believe this ,we can not answer that because it's before the court's,that's probably the first time those word's were said in our house!Used to be if there was only a mere perception of impropriety you would have to step down but were talking thieves here and that would be to honorable.
Great piece Bill T........
I would like to share a letter I wrote to Patricia Graham(editor in chief of the vancouver sun)
The reason I wrote her is the Sun wouldn`t print my comment under the story they had run about the new tax gouge....
My Letter
To:Patricia Graham-pgraham@vancouversun.com
Subject:Denouncing your endorsement of the BC Liberals
I wrote several comments under the harmonized tax story but none were printed....
I mentioned you in both of my comments.
The time has come for you and your newspaper to make a choice,as you can tell from the hundreds of comments people are furious over this tax grab....
Gordon Campbell lied during the election,lied about unemployment numbers,lied about the deficit,lied about cuts to health and education and just about everything else,yes the budgets went up in health and education but so did negotiated wages so the end result is cuts,and no where during the writ did Campbell talk about raising taxes!
Campbell and Hansen talk about the business council or boards of trade were in favour of tax harmonization,that`s true but none of those groups wanted all the PST exempt items to be taxed!Campbell has twisted the spirit of harmonization,do you realize the price of a 1 million$$$$ home will cost an extra 50 thousand$$$,a 400.000.00$$$ condo will cost the buyer 8000.00$ extra even after the rebate.
I won`t get into obstruction of justice over document retention at this time but BC Rail stiks,stinks to high heaven......
The reason I am Emailing you is because you are the editor in chief of the Vancouver sun,your the boss(maybe)......
I believe that you should denounce your endorsement of the BC Liberals,it`s clear that they fibbed,lied,misled the public on all matters,it`s clear that the people of this province are furious with Campbell(rightfully so)
So it`s up to you Patricia Graham,who are you going to side with?The people or the dishonest premier,I believe you know that answer,I would expect some scathing editorials lashing out against this BC Liberal goverment and denouncing your election night endorsement,hey,we all make mistakes.
Here are some ideas,go after fish farms,let Scott Simpson expose the run of river fraud,lets make some noise over BC Rail,lets admonish the goverment over the chincy cuts and lets remind everyone how they managed to take good care of themselves,golden parachutes included,lets go after Translink,how many cars are paying the tolls,I have heard nothing on that front....
Lets talk about the Canada line that is 1.7 billion over budget,lets talk about the financial pickle BC ferries are in.......
Campbell has expired,his best before date is long gone,he`s a rotten apple,this has nothing to do with the NDP,you can bash them while your at it but Gordon Campbell has turned into a corrupt corporate goon.
Patricia Graham,the ball is in your court,tell Leonard A to butt out,set the dogs loose before their muscles actrify from inactivity......Let Palmer really go at him,get your cubs chasing Campbell around,stick the mike and camera in his face......
It`s no secret about Canwest financial problems,go to town Patricia,you only live once,sleep with a clear conscious for a change.
Sincerely
Powell river persuader
To which I got no reply,I then forwarded it to Kirk Lapointe(Managing editor of the Vancouver sun)
To which he replied
"I suppose you don`t take holidays,sir,but I do"
Kirk Lapointe,Managing Editor,The Vancouver Sun
I urge all of you to Email the premier and the Province and Sun Newspapers
Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
It is nice to see the polite outrage expressed here in the comments to your blog but it is an useless enterprise.
The government is corrupt and evil, the opposition party and its leader are just counter-productive entities and the media are out and out QUISLINGS so what is to be done?!
History provides the answers, the years 1649 in England, 1775 at Lexington-Concord and 1981/1989 in Poland, and the venues are the same now . . . THE STREETS!
And the instruments of change are also the same . . . THE PEOPLE!
If you want to send a message to the evil empire the 1st step is putting 50,000 citizens in the streets and marching them north on Granville to Campbell's executive bunker.
From there escalate . . .
The GREAT SATAN
“I need to be as alarmist as possible” – Bill Tieleman
The problem with that statement Bill is that you are always alarmist when it comes to Gordo. You are like the boy who cried wolf too many times and you end up getting tuned out as a result.
I also don’t understand the contradictory message you are spreading here. You say the HST transfers the tax burden more from business to individuals and yet than in your next breath you start listing all of the business (like your own for an example) that no longer get the free ride from charging PST as you do currently. In other words what the HST is really doing is leveling the playing field so ALL businesses are now getting treated equally when it comes to Provincial taxation.
Basically this levels the playing field and will ultimately allow Business to operate under the same taxation environment and that is not presently the case.. And I am pretty positive that all of your big Union clients and people like Rebaglati can spare a few extra bucks to afford your services.
Fact is nothing in life is free Bill and the government needs revenue to provide services. Spin it any way you want too as that is what you do but taxes pay the Bill (no pun intended)
To anonymous 9:43 am... dude tax payers pay the bills ,not taxes our past investments that we and our fathers and their fathers before them have made to some day keep these taxes in line,not to be auctioned off to the lowest bidder their friends,so this I say to you,go back to your pab boiler room and obfuscate those that are unaware of what's going on,as we can clearly see we are being screwed LEFT ,RIGHT,and,CENTER,these taxes are being shifted from business to us and a whole new batch of sources that were previously not taxed so screw off you obfuscator!(is that a word?)Well it should be cause it fits you to a T!BUSTED!
How come no one is talking about the double whammy tax. The new HST and the Carbon tax. These 2 taxes are going to up my residential electricity and gas by some 7% + 7.2%.
That's an increase for BC families of 14% under Gordo!!
Reading some of the comments from your fan club on here Bill it is clear you should be starting up a church. Your flock would follow you anywhere and you would again be free of charging taxes for your services….
BC is like a big fir tree.Every month psycho Campbell cuts off a limb When he gets to the top it's dead.By then he and his buddies are getting pissed in Hawaaii,with the money they stole from BC.
If you have a complaint regarding how the BC Liberals sprang this tax on you just follow this link to the:
Taxpayer Fairness and Service Code 2008
"This code was developed in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, British Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Retail BC, Retail Council of Canada, Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, Certified Management Accountants Society of British Columbia, Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia, and Sales Tax Practitioners Liaison Committee.
We wish to acknowledge and thank these partners for their enthusiastic participation and commitment to this initiative."
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/msbr/tfsc/tfsc.htm
However, this is now 2009, the election is over and I'm surprised that this handy dandy little booklet hasn't been relegated to the trash heap because this time around no consultation took place, no fairness was present, fact is no one was consulted at all before May 12th, 2009
If you want more information, here's the booklet:
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/documents_library/TFSC/booklet_english.pdf
Here's a suggestion. An economist, or two or three, at one of BC's public universities who specialize in public finance issues ought to be asked to do a complete analysis of the incidence and impact of both the carbon tax, and its various associated tax reductions, and the new HST.
The question at issue for me is whether or not the combination of these three moves, carbon tax, carbon tax pay-backs, and the HST is to make the overall BC taxation system more regressive or more progressive, or to leave it unchanged in that regard.
http://www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/msbr/tfsc/booklets.htm
Booklet information, and its in your choice of languages.
Yeah, it's a big tax shift from business to the consumer... and that's wrong.
But here's the crux... Ontario brought in the same HST at 13% and the Ontario Lieberals are now surging in the opinion polls.
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=4468
That does not make any sense!
Thank you for doing your homework and helping the rest of us see another side.
What appears if you're not paying attention to be a simplification is really a new tax on those items you mention.
Shocking that this can simply happen without those in government making it clear what it really means.
With the feds holding out a $1.6-billion carrot on this issue, at a time when this government faces a $2-billion deficit - don't bet on this HST going anywhere anytime soon.
And just as I was about to open my own restaurant....
Anon 11.13
It makes perfect sense,who is Ipsos Reid? They are none other then Canwest Global,their polls aren`t worth the paper their written on........
And,you also have to remember,The Ontario goverment is sending every family in Ontario 1000.00$$ to help offset the first year of the tax.........
Colin Hansen Gordon Campbell have catagorically rejected sending out similar rebates to BC families.......
It`s about time you people started ignoring the bullshit.....
Marc Carney(Bank of Canada) --"The recession is over"
And the next day it`s reported that Harper ran a 7.5 billion$$$ deficit for may and june(2 months)....
The spin is in and Canwaste Global is trying to hype a dead economy,everything is great,buy,spend,borrow,new taxes mean new prosperity.....Sheesh......
Unemployment numbers are still on the rise,and historically,summer is when unemployment falls,it`s still rising,wait til fall,wiat til tourism season is over......And the other problem in Ontario is the Tories and Liberals provincially are the same party,no choice there.
Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
Eyes Wide Open - I have to disagree with your comments on Ipsos - I have used them with my clients many times and they have always done a very professional job.
They have an excellent track record on political polling.
The reality in Ontario is that the Tories just chose a former Mike Harris guy as leader and he is both unknown and possibly a poor choice - we'll see.
But more importantly, most Ontarians likely still don't understand what is about to happen to them with the HST.
What was the old expression.? If I'm going to get screwed I excpet also to get kissed. We arn't about to get kissed as Gordo keeps cutting things to pay for some of his visions.
and a blurred vision it is!
Big headlines today. The Home builders association are not at all pleased with this new harmonization. And Gordo always figured they were his friends.
Whatever happened to recall?....
There needs to be some sort of law that prevents governments from the outright lies they tell to get elected. I consider it fraud and how can we stop it? Legally isn't there anything we can do?
We can scream all we want about this tax but does anybody honestly think Gordo will back down. He doesn't care because he can afford to pay the HST. His 54% raise helps him with this.
I wrote a comment in one of the online news spots and said that if we vote the Liberals in there will be consequences because they have a few things up your sleeve. Somehow being right is much of a consolation right now.
another lovely lie from the lying liar someone elected - I swear it was never me - Why How is this man in charge - can't you read it on his face?????
So are we all here just whining and moaning about this tax shift/change, or are we organizing an actual protest that makes the BOSTON TEA PARTY look like a street party. Let's organize something, and for once in our life, quit whining and become pro-active - who's first??
When Solidarity, and the Solidarity Coalition came about, the union I belonged to was Federal We were due to go out as things got bigger. WE were told that if we all walked, our jobs would go away as we were in a legal contract. Some of us could afford to get fired. But Jack Monroe went up to visit Bennett, as requested. It was over and if you don't remember Bennett gor reelected for a number of reasons. One being a General Strike is a collapse of elected government control. That plays right into the hands of a corrupt government. An old expression " What if you call a strike and nbody shows up. The way to beat Campbell is at the ballot box.
"nyaaaa!!!1 i am anon. 7:28 PM, nyaaa!!!! i see all and hear all!!! for i have stalked the comments and seen through your fascade! nyaaa!!! i have nothing to contribute or anything helpfull or on topic to say, i just sit here like the piece of $4!T i am, and troll the pages! nyaaa!!!"
there's really nothing i can say that hasn't already said about cambell, or this new tax
as for you Powell river persuader i learned more from that letter about the past corruption(i've only recently started paying attention to the news and politics) then i did with the last half an hour of google
alright, I just got through commenting and it said i had to wait for your approval, so i'd just like to say this(this is more of a PM, don't publish this i just want you to read this)
don't fliter your comments, its REALLY bad taste, and you come off as the guy who cuts off all those who disagree with him
if you're filtering comments b/c of trolls don't worry, you got a pretty sophisticated audience capable of seeing right through them
discussion must always be more then one sided, otherwise you wind up doing things like f*cking over public health care or selling BC rail
We must protest this tax hike. Start by signing the petition against the HST here: http://www.bcndp.ca/hstpetition
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/BCANTIHST
COME HERE AND PROTEST!
BC's NEW HARMONIZED SALES TAX PROTEST!
Date:
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Time:
4:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Vancouver Art Gallery
Street:
750 Hornby Street
City/Town:
Vancouver, BC
http://www.facebook.com/natashik?v=photos&viewas=506035945#/event.php?eid=134522702315
To the voters of Vancouver-Point Grey: Please recall Campbell ASAP as allowed by law (November, 2010).
This man is such a despicable liar. He should go down in history as having the dishonour of being the first Premier in British Columbia to be recalled by the voters of his district.
To the wealthy of Vancouver-Point Grey who voted for Campbell; have you no shame? You have one last chance; for decency's sake, take the high road of honour and principles, instead of the low road filled with self-interest. In name of morality, rid this province's legislature of Gordon Campbell, an individual who not only possesses megalomaniacal tendencies but is a proven, compulsive liar who has shamed this province by his actions in B.C. and Hawaii!
This will make for good theatre on Global BC TV news, and in the paper, but not much more than that.
Approximately 2400 signatures plus an added 10%, so let's say 3100 signatures from registered voters in each and every riding in the Province (not 1500 in one and 2600 in the other) within 90 days?
So where were you all (including Bill here) that should have been out carting 2400 additional voters to the polls for the NDP in the last election?
Even if this effort makes it past Elections BC, the Select Standing Committee has to decide whether to proceed with a draft Bill or tell Elections BC to start an initiative vote which wouldn't happen until September 2011. Even then if it gets past that, all that comes out of this is a Bill that is sent to the Legislature for a vote. There's no guarantee that such a Bill would pass.
By then the HST would be well in place as a tax grab.
By then you would be better off dumping Carole James and getting a better NDP leader to start the process to take out the BC Liberals in 2013.
The NDP of course would have to clearly state they would rescind the HST no matter what.
and this does not start the process of trying to remove a BC Liberal MLA. That too is laughable. The only premise is a 45% of the popular vote and below.
But good luck with it. Despite not liking this HST, I wouldn't sign the petition as a registred voter.
A disgraced Premier and a leader of a third party working with a former senior operative of the Glen Clark NDP? Has to be the neatest thing to see since McDonald's Pizza.
To 1:46 p.m. Anonymous - you may want to comment on a lot more recent post than this one from July 2009! More likely to be seen there and debated.
I would sign if the ballot were secret. Why can't it be?
You could still sign your name at the poll, but your actual vote would be your business.
Circumstances prevent many people from revealing their position.
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