Seems to be quite unpopular according to the news.

What do people in BC think?

Nobody has an opinion?

My take is that it's a transference of wealth from consumers in Vancouver to business, and particularly logging business (who are set to save $150M/year when it comes in according to global bc). Also like all value added taxes - the poor are taxed proportionately more on essentials.

So a vote of no from me.

Edit to add: Doh! some votes, but no comments.

It is business that creates wealth and ultimately jobs. Right now we're in a recession, business is not doing well, there is high unemployment. When business does well employment levels rise, everyone does better.

Most if not all of these businesses were started by people working long hours, often for nothing or next to nothing and risking eveyrthing they had, even sacrificing family lives to make a success of their venture. There seems to often be resentment to businesses and people that are successful and the feeling that they owe some kind of debt to society.

HST will help business and makes far more econiomic sense than the old PST system. HST is no different to the VAT system in the UK, other than it is only 12% here vs 17½% over there. For the most part we are already paying 12% sales tax. Right now some things for a business are exempt of PST, others are not. PST is not refundable, therefore becomes part of the cost passed on to consumers. In agriculture and fishing there is a list of items that are PST exempt and items that are not. In some instances the same item is exempt for one use and not another. The exisiting system is unwieldy and uneconomic.

Restaurants are up in arms about it, but I have more of a problem subsidizing their paying low wages to staff and expecting the consumer to tip staff to give them a living wage. A goods delivery driver works just as hard, or a flight attendant, but they don't get tips. Margins in the food industry are very high, especially compared to other industries.

Forestry is suffering right now, as are forestry employees and towns reliant on them. If forestry as an industry gains, we hopefully will see that benefit passed down to the employees and communities they support.

We have yet to see if the government can demonstrate the benefit to the province with reduced governmental costs. HST has been something many business associations have been pushing for for a long time.

We should however see some things exempt from HST altogether as there are in the UK with VAT which may make the system more palatable to consumers.

Agree with you

Value added taxes are inherently unfair for the reasons I gave above. I'd rather taxes were lowered for everyone or increases were linked to ability to pay.

Any price sensitive business is going to complain about it.

Agreed - a tax incentive is much more sustainable and preferable to a direct subsidy and so it's the right approach here. However if the business isn't viable then the government shouldn't propping it up - time will tell on this and I accept they at least have to try.

I'm very sceptical of this.

Totally - food, children's clothes etc. Ultimately pretty much anything that is an essential cost of living should be exempt really.

We should get rid of sales taxes on anything other than luxury items and then we should put up the income tax on posh people.

Seems like we agree on most things, now just have to get Gordon Campbell to do as we suggest.

The only trouble with taxes on the basis of ability to pay is that there are people earning hig incomes who are in debt up to the eyeballs and cannot pay and there are those on lower incomes who live frugally and have higher disposable income. Now system is going to work for all.

Direct government funding should not be supporting businesses that are not viable, but what they are really trying to do is stave off unemployment. It is however a short term fix that cannot be sustained indefinitely.

I don't see the government making budgetary cuts as a result of the savings from HST in govt. costs. We need to see our govt. leading by example and remembering who their bosses are. This has come in early in their term in the hope that either people will have got used to it by election time or they have demonstrated it will work. Personally I think the former is the case. Apparently the deal is done and we cannot back out of it now, we're stuck with it for 2 years. Trouble is there are many add on taxes that do not seem to directly benefit tax payers, the rising carbon tax as an example. This does not seem to have reduced peoples driving habits. Additionally it is another expense businesses have to pass on to the consumer, so they are being stuck with it twice.

Great idea, then they all leave and there is nobody to pay taxes.

Agree with you except for the highlighted bit - I don't think high earners who've borrowed more than they can afford should be given tax breaks. And if low income people are frugal then good for them - they might have something for retirement.

Think that'd be problem in Vancouver?

Well said that man.

Too right - my definition of posh being anyone that has a higher level of education than a "first degree" - lazy buggers - all knowledge and no work

I certainly would not consider myself posh,
lazy
bugger but not posh

I can't be posh, I'm down with the youth, I'll have you know I have a 2 Live Crew record.

B.C. is proposing the following point-of-sale rebates for the B.C. portion of the HST. Point-of-sale rebates are very similar to PST exemptions in that consumers do not pay tax at the time of purchase.

* Gasoline, diesel fuel, marine diesel and aviation fuel including biofuels components for motor vehicles, boats and aircraft.

* Children- sized clothing and footwear. The PST currently exempts children-sized clothing as well as adult- sized clothing purchased for children under the age of 15. While it is not possible to duplicate the exemption with respect to the adult sized clothing, it is proposed that a point-of-sale rebate be provided for children-sized clothing.

* Other point-of-sale rebates proposed include books, children’s car seats and car booster seats, diapers and feminine hygiene products.


http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/scp/hst/Questions.html

Basic foodstuffs, of course, are not subject to GST so will not be subject to HST either.

I actually think that covers most necessities.

One thing i've not worked out yet is what foods are what combination of GST/PST. I only notice that one tax goes up more often than the other when I'm at the till - maybe I should pay attention (or google the answer)