Nine hundred East Kootenay voters have signed the anti-HST petition to date – meaning organizers have reached their 15 per cent target.
According to the Fight HST Campaign in Kootenay East, over 900 signatures have been collected.
As The Free Press went to print there was no break down available of numbers across each community in the riding.
To be successful, the petition must gather signatures from 10 per cent of voters in each riding across B.C. by July 5.
The Liberal government could then be required to hold a referendum on its decision to link the seven per cent B.C. tax and five per cent federal tax into a single 12 per cent value added tax.
Petition canvasser Sharon Cross said: “There have only been a few people that have not really been interested. This is a huge issue that affects everybody in the province, and so far the results have been overwhelmingly positive.”
“What we are hearing from people is that they are angry with the government on this issue, since they stated they would not bring in the HST” said Cross.
Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett told The Free Press this week: “I’m not surprised – I expected them to be able to find 10 per cent of the voters who would say no to a new tax.
“I think it is an important message that I personally need to think about and respect.
“I think the government and myself have to accept responsibility for the really poor job we have done in terms of announcing the tax and communicating its benefits to the province. I don’t think we’ve done a good job in that regard.”
“I get that people don’t like the new tax, I get that people don’t like the fact consumers will pay seven per cent on some items that wasn’t there before, and I respect that, but however we have brought in over 100 tax cuts in the last nine years, you will pay more tax anywhere else in the country except Alberta, and they aren’t so far from us anymore.”
• What questions do you have about the HST? We will pose them to local tax experts, the anti-HST canvassers and the provincial government on your behalf. Email questions to freepress@shawcable.com or call 250-423-4666.
