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You’re paying much more with the HST

Editor: So the government of B.C. lied and is now trying to “bribe” the taxpayers by lowering the HST to 10 per cent and only by the year 2014.

Editor:

So the government of B.C. lied and is now trying to “bribe” the taxpayers by lowering the HST to 10 per cent and only by the year 2014.

At 10 per cent you will still be paying four per cent more on the following services, and this is just a partial list. Previously exempt from the PST, the following are now subject to the full 12 per cent harmonized sales tax:

• Airline fares within Canada.

• New homes.

• Real-estate fees and commissions.

• Energy, conservation, retrofits and equipment.

• Car and household repair services.

• Household renovations and painting.

•All food products except “basic groceries.”

• Nonprescription medication, plus vitamins and dietary supplements.

• Restaurant meals.

• Bicycles and tricycles.

• Basic cable and TV and residential phones.

• Services like accounting, home care and hair care.

• School supplies and summer camping for the kids and grandkids.

• Funeral services.

• Parking.

• Movie and theatre tickets.

• Membership fees for gyms or health clubs, soccer, hockey, swimming.

• Dry cleaning.

• Magazines and newspapers.

• Work-related safety equipment like steel-toed boots, hard hats, life jackets, first-aid kits, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers.

Even HST-exempt living expenses are going up:

• Rent, taxing maintenance and other services put pressure on landlords to raise rents.

• Strata fees, the increased cost for services is estimated at five to eight per cent.

• Insurance premiums, increased costs for repairs, restoration.

• Residential care for seniors. All care facilities which contracted out maintenance and care services pay HST on those contracts.

Please vote yes to rid this repulsive tax downloaded onto ordinary citizens and small business.

The government can pay it back by going to big business which has made millions of extra dollars on this tax in the past year plus, and tell it the “vote” failed and now you have to repay this illegal money back.

Wilfred D Pederson

Williams Lake