MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

May 25, 2011

Clark continues to flip-flop on HST: Macdonald

VICTORIA – Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberals have released another list of promises in an attempt to make the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) more palatable to voters, but they are forgetting the primary reason that voters rejected the HST, says Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald.

“British Columbians believed the BC Liberals when they said they would not bring in the HST.  That was the first HST promise broken by this government,” said Macdonald.  “And now the BC Liberals are making more promises about the HST.  Can voters really trust that this time the BC Liberals will do as they say?”

None of Premier Clark’s HST promises will come into effect prior to the referendum when voters will be asked whether or not to extinguish the HST. 

“If the BC Liberals really believed that the promised ‘new and improved post-referendum HST’ was the right direction to go, they would have made these adjustments before implementing the tax in 2010.  The truth is, they are desperate to get voters to keep the HST, and will say anything to make that happen.”

Promises of rebate cheques and tax rate reductions have the appearance of tax policy written on the back of a napkin by a government in crisis.

“It’s disturbing to see that the BC Liberals are so cavalier about managing revenue streams.  Recently we have seen tax cuts announced and then rescinded, tax exemptions cancelled and then reinstated, and tax promises made and then broken.  The BC Liberals’ flip-flops have been remarkable and Christy Clark is continuing this pattern,” said Macdonald.

“This is a government that can’t manage and can’t be trusted.  The bottom line is that the BC Liberals have completely bungled the HST file, and now voters have a responsibility to send a strong message in the upcoming HST referendum.”

The referendum question is ‘Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST and reinstating the PST in conjunction with the GST?’

“I feel confident that British Columbians will vote yes.  They will reject the broken promises and the mismanagement of the BC Liberals, and they will vote to extinguish the HST.”