The Community Business and Professionals Association of Canada (CBPA) is opposed to the HST in B.C. for the following reasons:
It is an unfair tax on consumers which shifts the tax burden from those who can pay it, namely wealthy corporations, to those who are already struggling to meet household budgets.
While the wealthy corporations appreciate the new tax break, they don’t need this windfall because of previous tax breaks, which already make B.C. one of the least-expensive places to do business in the industrialized world.
Because of the recession, many families are struggling financially, and the added burden of the HST will have a negative impact not only on their own standard of living, but also on the overall economy, as they put away their wallets and spend less.
At this time, after experiencing the HST for several months, along with the recession, B.C. has seen an overall loss of jobs.
Because working families, seniors, students and the small businesses that serve them are stretched to the maximum economically, the HST must be defeated and the prior tax regime with its PST exemptions brought back in.
Anything less will not help the job situation in B.C.
Paul Abbott
Media relations, CBPA