Bruce Ralston, MLA • Surrey-Whalley

ABBOTSFORD– A “yes” vote to get rid of the HST in the upcoming referendum will be good for average British Columbians and good for small businesses, say the New Democrats.

“The HST represents a significant shift in the tax burden from large corporations onto the backs of working-class families,” said New Democrat finance critic Bruce Ralston. “Hundreds of goods and services that formerly had zero provincial sales tax now cost seven per centmore thanks to the HST.

“The results have been profound. Spending patterns have changed and businesses have been forced to change or close outright.”

Ralston and Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains joined with Abbotsford business owners Thursday morning to show how the HST has affected their small businesses in the retail, construction, hospitality and service sectors.

“The HST affects purchasing power, and small businesses bear the brunt of that,” said Sukhi Dhami, who owns Everbloom Garden Centre in Abbotsford. “Basic goods and services like basic telephone and cable connections and haircuts suddenly cost seven per cent more, and people have less money to spend on other services.

“The problem is then compounded when products like ours are hit with a tax after being exempt from provincial sales tax for decades. It’s a double-hit.”

“New Democrats are urging British Columbians to vote ‘yes’ to scrap the HST,” said Bains. “Getting rid of the HST is good for families and good for small businesses.”

Ralston said the B.C. Liberals have piled deception on top of deception while trying to sell British Columbians on their HST doublecross. After promising during the 2009 election to not introduce a harmonized sales tax, the Liberals brought in the tax shortly after the election. They promised it would be revenue-neutral, then they promised all revenue would go to health care, and then they promised it would create more than 100,000 jobs. All of those promises have melted away.

“The most recent deception has been the claim that it wouldn’t impact the pocketbook of typical British Columbians,” said Ralston. “But Stats Can data shows clearly that a two-income family with incomes of $50,000 each would pay more than $1,000 per year more because of the HST.

“That’s a significant increase for middle-class families. That’s why we’re encouraging British Columbians to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum to scrap the HST.”

Adrian Dix and the B.C. New Democrats willl continue to fight to eliminate the HST by telling voters the true cost of the new tax to families and small businesses, and by campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote to eliminate the HST in the upcoming mail-in referendum.