tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post6299855681871915924..comments2023-07-25T02:39:44.615-07:00Comments on Bill Tieleman: Federal Liberals and Conservatives guilty of contempt of BC voters, given their hypocrisy on imposing HST on British ColumbiansBill Tielemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304971610140279157noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-8934081568412822802011-04-13T11:00:25.217-07:002011-04-13T11:00:25.217-07:00"Lastly, when can we in BC get back some of t..."Lastly, when can we in BC get back some of the billions you Albertans have taken out of our wallets to build the outrageously expensive and polluting Tar Sands? Seems to me you owe us more than we owe you even if we keep the HST money!"<br /><br />Oh good grief Charlie Brown.. Bill, that argument doesn't make much sense. Some of that Tar Sands oil ends up as gasoline at your local gas station.<br /><br />Since when did Bill become a David Suzuki type comfort environmentalist? Also don't forget the many union jobs the Tar sands provides to our brothers and sisters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-50281907257025381052011-04-13T10:57:18.156-07:002011-04-13T10:57:18.156-07:00"The NDP inherited the HST - and a large prov..."The NDP inherited the HST - and a large provincial debt - in Nova Scotia, they did not introduce it."<br /><br />They did not get rid of it. <br /><br />"They raised the HST rate and the income taxes on the highest income levels to eliminate the provincial debt over 4 years."<br /><br />The HST rate was raised, it should have been eliminated.<br /><br />"The Sask NDP abolished the HST that the Devine Sask government had implemented."<br /><br />So why didn't the Nova Scotia NDP?<br /><br />"A new BC NDP govt will also inherit a huge provincial debt from the Bc Fiberals and will need to implement a debt reduction strategy - without an unfair HST.<br /><br />All the more reason for Adrian Dix to be brave enough to say directly to the membership that he would as Premier eliminate the HST six months after taking office, but he has not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-86692282107284409672011-04-13T05:33:28.646-07:002011-04-13T05:33:28.646-07:00Good column. And I would add an another angle to ...Good column. And I would add an another angle to this HST issue concerning Mr. Harper. Namely, the secret conspiracy between the BC Liberals and Federal Tories to begin discussions on harmonization before the 2009 BC Election and their subsequent cover-up of those (possibly informal) incipient negotiations. The Tories are complicit in that doublecross of British Columbians, which was a big part of the hatred over the tax here of course. For instance, why has Minister Flaherty refused to disclose which province approached him in March 2009 about harmonization? No other province ended up harmonizing, and enough of the non-harmonized provinces are on record as not approaching Ottawa at that time to necessarily point to BC.<br /><br /><i>Other provinces may follow Ont. sales tax harmonization: Flaherty<br /><br />BY DAVID AKIN, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE MARCH 30, 2009<br /><br />OTTAWA — Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Monday "other provinces" have approached the federal government to talk about ways to harmonize the federal goods and services tax with provincial sales tax.<br /><br />Flaherty would not say which provinces are looking at a harmonized sales tax: the only provinces without the combined sales tax are B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.<br /><br />Quebec has a blended tax but it is not harmonized with federal tax rules. Alberta does not have a provincial sales tax.<br /><br />Flaherty has long argued that the harmonized sales tax cuts costs for businesses and can help boost job creation. He has set aside money in each of his four budgets to help provinces make that transition.<br /><br />Last week, Ontario's Liberal government, after objecting to the combined tax for years, decided to switch.<br /><br />Ottawa agreed to help Canada's most populous province with that move by giving Ontario one-time compensation of $4.3 billion.<br /><br />"I think this is very good economic policy," Flaherty told reporters in Ottawa Monday. "This is a massive tax cut, a $5 billion tax cut for businesses in the province of Ontario and that means job creation and investment in the province of Ontario. So, this is very good economic policy over time.<br /><br />"I've already heard from other provinces, now that Ontario has done this, that are not harmonized, saying let's talk, we want to move in the same direction. Why? Because they know that that's where the job creation will be and they don't want to be left out."<br /><br />A spokesperson for Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger said Manitoba has no interest in copying Ontario and has not approached the federal government to talk about harmonization. Manitoba tabled its budget last week and is one of only two provinces that will have a budgetary surplus next year.<br /><br />The other province with a surplus, Saskatchewan, is also against harmonization. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall campaigned last year on a platform that included no harmonization but recently has hinted that he was open to more discussions on the issue.<br /><br />"We made a commitment in the campaign," Wall told reporters last week. "Having said that, if the numbers get large enough, and long-term enough, so we can blunt the effects of this on consumers, I'm sure the debate would happen again in the province."<br /><br />B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen declined to comment on the issue Monday and officials with P.E.I. Treasurer Wesley Sheridan could not be reached...</i>Adrian B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-25671101967757139082011-04-12T14:17:19.545-07:002011-04-12T14:17:19.545-07:00Thanks Peter - I believe you mean I said I was unh...Thanks Peter - I believe you mean I said I was unhappy with the federal Conservatives - not NDP - letting the BC Liberals do anything they wanted with the $1.6 billion HST implementation grant. <br /><br />My position is that the HST must be extinguished over and above all else. Clearly the province and federal government must negotiate over the grant repayment.<br /><br />I've not talked to Layton or anyone from the NDP about the grant or his position, but I am glad of it - since a premier who misled British Columbians before an election about the HST cut a backroom deal with Stephen Harper to bail himself out of a budget deficit 6 times bigger than he told voters before that election.<br /><br />But if the grant is to be repaid it should be on a pro-rated basis at least, given that at least 1.5 years of the 5 year agreement will have been fulfilled.<br /><br />I've also publicly said on radio several times that even the full $1.6 billion is less than 1% of the BC budget over 5 years.<br /><br />Lastly, when can we in BC get back some of the billions you Albertans have taken out of our wallets to build the outrageously expensive and polluting Tar Sands? Seems to me you owe us more than we owe you even if we keep the HST money!Bill Tielemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03304971610140279157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-92178643874831587752011-04-12T14:06:42.440-07:002011-04-12T14:06:42.440-07:00You are reporting (correctly) that the Federal NDP...You are reporting (correctly) that the Federal NDP would let BC keep HST money. <br /><br />As a leader of the anti-HST forces, what is YOUR stance on this? Have you changed it since you blogged that you were unhappy with the Federal NDP letting the Provincial Liberals have 1.6 billion to spend "any way they want"?<br /><br />Did you ASK to keep this money? There wasn't a peep about it on this blog until now, 6 days after it came out on the CBC and the Globe. Did Jack Layton consult with you (one of his supporters), who has been so prominent on this, before announcing this policy?<br /><br />On Page 18 of the Federal NDP platform which I just downloaded from their web site, point 5.16, they state that they will both let BC keep the 1.6 Billion if they vote out the HST and let Quebec have 2 billion for implementing it.<br /><br />I assume that this 2 billion would also be for Quebec's Provincial Liberals to use any way they want. Or maybe if the PQ is in by the time the cheque comes, they can use it to create separatist propaganda. Do you support that as well?<br /><br />In case you are wondering why an Albertan cares so much about this, some of that 1.6B$ is coming from my tax dollars. Also, I know some of the people here in Edmonton who have to change the accounting systems for national businesses every time you guys flip back and forth on this.PeterInEdmontonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-49283949836948779592011-04-12T13:59:45.345-07:002011-04-12T13:59:45.345-07:00The NDP inherited the HST - and a large provincial...The NDP inherited the HST - and a large provincial debt - in Nova Scotia, they did not introduce it.<br /><br />They raised the HST rate and the income taxes on the highest income levels to eliminate the provincial debt over 4 years.<br /><br />The Sask NDP abolished the HST that the Devine Sask government had implemented.<br /><br />Twice in Sask the NDP inherited huge debts accumulated by the old line parties - the Blakeney govt eliminated the large Thatcher Liberal debt and the Romanow NDP eliminated the huge Devine Tory provincial debt.<br /><br />A new BC NDP govt will also inherit a huge provincial debt from the Bc Fiberals and will need to implement a debt reduction strategy - without an unfair HST.Ron1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-25090532497524260462011-04-12T13:59:07.602-07:002011-04-12T13:59:07.602-07:00Anon 12:59 - I think the NDP were wrong in Nova Sc...Anon 12:59 - I think the NDP were wrong in Nova Scotia for increasing the HST - it is a regressive tax. I also said the Conservatives federally were right to reduce the GST for the same reasons.<br /><br />But then they imposed an extra 7% on hundreds of goods and services through the HST.<br /><br />Lastly, the Nova Scotia situation is a big reminder that governments can increase the HST - the BC Liberals - especially Kevin Falcon - have talked about reducing the HST but the opposite is more likely, after an election of course!Bill Tielemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03304971610140279157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-11982609143655737922011-04-12T12:59:51.398-07:002011-04-12T12:59:51.398-07:00Hmm so did the NDP (in Nova Scotia)Hmm so did the NDP (in Nova Scotia)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-18091266548662953732011-04-12T11:59:15.663-07:002011-04-12T11:59:15.663-07:00Don't forget the federal Greens whose policy s...Don't forget the federal Greens whose policy statement on the HST calls it "a good idea"!!<br /><br />The BC Greens also support the HST!Ron1noreply@blogger.com