It never fails to amaze me that the longer a political party is in office, the more arrogant they become. This seems to happen at all levels of government. Remember Brian Mulroney. Now we have the provincial equivalent of the former PM in Gordon Campbell.
Most folks are upset about the forthcoming HST, but I think that a large part of the anger is that he lied by omission. It was said during the May election campaign that the government had no plans to implement this tax change. When asked on Global TV recently during an interview why he did not discuss the HST during the election, he said that nobody had asked him.
The tax itself will benefit some businesses, but it will hurt the vast majority of our citizens. It is my understanding that the way out of recessions is to spend our way out. Increasing taxes will mean less disposable income for B.C. residents and that will mean less money for them to spend. Restaurants and the service industry will suffer because their prices will go up by seven per cent.
When someone purchases a home in BC after July 2010, the dwelling will be taxed at a higher rate than it is at present. A home costing $500,000 will be subject to a total increase in taxes of $15,000. This will not be helpful to the real estate market. The housing market is one of the key indicators of how well our economy is doing overall. It would be unfortunate if this were to contribute to a continuation of the recession.
Mr. Campbell needs a wakeup call. He expects to become the longest serving premier in Canadian history. Voters might have something to say about that.
Grant Thompson
Sechelt
