- HST = Harper Sales Tax (Ignatieff)

Excerpt posted to G&M: Silver – Powers, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:12 AM
Harper's HST revisionism , Robert Silver
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/silver-powers/harpers-hst-revisionism/article1289702/
and, "Thousands attend HST rallies in B.C.", Vancouver — The Canadian Press Saturday, Sep. 19, 2009 06:44PM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/thousands-of-bc-residents-attend-hst-rallies/article1294430/


It is Harper and the Cons that are really behind this. Harper has been putting pressure on the provinces for quite a while to do the “harmonization” thing. In his budget speech Harper states that:
“Provincial sales tax harmonization is the single most important step provinces with RSTs could take to improve the competitiveness of Canadian businesses."
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/silver-powers/harpers-hst-revisionism/article1289702/)

In fact, Harper is, in reality, paying off the Ontario and BC governments in order to implement this HST = “Harper Sales Tax”, the Ontario government is getting a rebate of approx $4.3 billion from Harper and BC is getting $1.6 billion just to implement it.

The recently released Toronto-Dominion Bank Report, indicates that the HST will represent an effective tax hike of 1.5%. (http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090918.whst0918/GIStory/)
On the one hand Harper and his Con’s have been going around saying how great it was for the economy to reduce the GST by 2 points. In the other, how great it is for the economy to have it effectively increased by 1.5%.

Harper is managing to claw back 75% of the GST reduction he so recklessly brought in to the detriment our economy. Further, he will, no doubt, point to this as part of his “fiscal achievements” and at the same time have the Provincial governments take the blame.

Why doesn’t Harper show some class, stand up and admit he was wrong to reduce the GST by two points and explain that this is needed to recoup the revenues that were lost by so doing.

How much more of this do we have to suffer before we simply just get rid of Harper and his Cons’