Ontario sleeps, BC Boils
Have Ontario folks
simply accepted that the HST (
GST and
RST) is a
done deal? Out in BC considerable effort is being made to do something to stop The BC Liberal government from moving ahead with the
Harper Strangling Tax (HST).
In Ontario, the
Progressive Conservatives said they will change it if elected. The
NDP have rolled out a petition. Neither effort is gaining much headway. Its as if
McGuinty knows we're a bunch of saps and even if we don't like it, what the heck are you going to do about it? Queens Park has decided!
Lots of things are going to cost more, yet the
McGuintyGovernment can't or won't tell us how much and what will be costing more. They have released some info on increased costs, things like heating fuel, electricity, gasoline, tobacco, taxi fares, lawyers' fees, haircuts will be taxed at 13 per cent instead of five. Then there are funerals and maintenance work on condominiums not on the
Ontario government released effects which will go up in price. Home renovations are going to be hit with the new tax as will almost anything defined as a service.
If you go to the
PC sponsored petition site, they have listed things scheduled to cost more including, camp fees, propane, kids dance lessons, summer camps, coffee, magazines and fast food.
Now the
NDP have a little more info on what will cost more
under the planned H
ST. You can sign petition there to voice your disapproval of the unfair tax.
Why all the lac
k of motivation here in Ontario? The Progressive Conservatives have a
Facebook group opposed to what they are calling the
DST, Dalton Sales Tax. The group has only 532 members! Whats up with that?
The
NDP Facebook group is doing better with some 1459 members. That's a far cry from the
almos
t
100,000 members opposed to the
HST in BC on F
acebook.
Its a little
disconcerting to see my new home province lacking any kind of fight to the coming of the
Harper Strangling Tax. Maybe it's the fact that in BC you can recall a provincial
MLA (
MPP in Ontario). Maybe it is that in BC voters can put an initiative on a ballot.
Perhaps what is even more
upsetting is that McGuinty and Campbell are being bought off by Harper. It certainly lends
credence to the idea that
any politician has a price and
Harper is playing that game very well in two provinces he needs to win the next election.
To make matters even more muddy,
NDP Premier of Manitoba Gary Doer is also looking at accepting the Harper government's bribe money.
The HST is a big tax shift. It will see government coffers grow and people paying more.
David Schreck has a good article here on the issue at
The Tyee.
I would put up the official Ontario government links to the change but they are a
little hard to find. Try it yourself.
To follow the BC anti HST movement check in on
Bill Tieleman's blog regularly.
mocratically elected NDP MPs has gotten loads of blog attention, but very little in the mainstream press outside of northern BC, where NDP MP Nathan Cullen has been targeted." - Attack of the Conservative Pod People, Part II
