NDP Says Liberals’ Contempt For Democracy On Display In HST Debate

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No answers were forthcoming from Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon on when the tax will be eliminated. The NDP had him cornered so all Falcon could do was call the ill advised HST as the “stupid, inefficient tax.”

VICTORIA – New Democrats challenged the Liberal government to provide a swift and clear transition away from the HST and back to the PST on Monday in the legislature,. They noted that many industries have been hit hard by the economic uncertainty, in particular the construction and tourism industries.

New Democrat small business critic Jagrup Brar introduced a motion to the legislature calling on the B.C. Liberal government to “fast-track the elimination of the HST and re-implement the GST/PST system in order to bring economic stability to the province and assist small businesses in creating jobs in British Columbia.”

The Liberal government refused to support and pass the motion, so New Democrats raised the issue again in the afternoon during question period.

Shane Simpson, Bruce Ralston and Norm Macdonald quoted reports and submissions from developers and homebuilders that say the lack of clarity around the rules and date of the transition is devastating their industries. There were only two potential outcomes to the HST referendum, and the government should have had some plans in place in case the HST were to fail.

New Democrats also asked if the Liberals would reinstate the original funding mechanism for resort municipality agreements that disappeared with the introduction of the HST.

No answers were forthcoming from Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon. Instead he lectured New Democrats saying they should have thought about how long it would take to return to the PST when they were out campaigning to go back to the “stupid, inefficient tax.”

In response, Bruce Ralston said that it was hard to imagine something more arrogant and contemptuous of democracy than what the Finance Minister said in question period.