| April 30, 2010 NDP Seeks Crushing 19 Per Cent Tax at the Till LANGLEY – By voting against eliminating the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) yesterday, the BC NDP are advocating a punitive 19 per cent tax that would crush the provincial economy, say Langley MLAs Mary Polak and Rich Coleman. “The PST is inefficient, costly and makes B.C. less competitive with other jurisdictions,” says Langley MLA Mary Polak. “It is vital we remove the PST and make sure that the appropriate rebates, exemptions and tax credits are in place to protect low-income British Columbians and pave the way for economic recovery and job creation.” “It is important to understand that we are removing the PST so consumers are not taxed twice,” says Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman. “The NDP want to punish British Columbians by pairing the existing PST with a combined HST/GST, resulting in a 19 per cent tax that would crush the provincial economy.” The HST is the single biggest thing our province can do to the make B.C. more competitive and create jobs. • The HST will eliminate $1.9 billion in embedded PST from products and services. • The HST will save B.C. taxpayers $30 million annually in administrative costs associated with the PST. • The HST is expected to save small, medium and large businesses a further $150 million in compliance costs. • The HST will generate 113,000 new jobs over the next decade. The new Consumption Tax Rebate and Transition Act eliminates the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) and the Hotel Room Tax, streamlining the regulatory burden on business and supporting the transition to the HST. Once the seven per cent PST has been eliminated, the GST (five per cent) will be integrated into the HST for a rate of 12 per cent, the lowest in Canada. For the latest constituency news from the Langley MLAs, visit Mary’s website www.marypolakmla.bc.ca and Rich’s website www.richcolemanmla.bc.ca. Also, follow them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MaryPolak and www.twitter.com/colemancountry. -30- | |
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