BC NDP leader Adrian Dix was pounding the pavement in Quesnel Tuesday with one simple message, “Vote Yes on the ballot to scrap the HST.”
And he will say that as often as possible to convince people how the HST is having a negative impact on small businesses and working families.
“It’s bad for the economy and bad for the community,” he said.
“Small business also suffers under the HST because it cuts the purchasing power of their customers, B.C. families.
“Customers are spending less in real dollars and visit less frequently, because they are being forced to pay more for every day items. When families have to strain their budgets, small local businesses are the first to feel the impact.”
Dix spent time at Green Tree Health and Wellness with business owner Marilyn Allin who reports she’s impacted by the HST not only as a regular average consumer but also as a small business person.
“It affects my bottom line,” she said.
“How much expendable money is there at the end of the day? Not a lot.”
She added people have to weigh where they’ll spend their money more than ever before because there just isn’t as much money as before.
“But it’s also all the way up from the raw product to counter costs that are going up,” she said.
“Especially if they manufacture here in B.C.
“When they purchase their raw product they’re paying HST then I put my mark up and the consumer pays at the till again.
“We’re under attack from so many aspects and we’re frustrated and disillusioned with what’s going on.”
Dix said the Liberal government has lied to taxpayers all along and that has people not trusting them.
“During the 2009 campaign they promised in writing they would not introduce the HST. Then they did. They promised the revenue would go toward health care, now it won’t. They insisted the HST would generate more than a hundred thousand jobs – it won’t. Ms Clark promised the referendum would be like a provincial election, only to break her word and use $5 million of taxpayer dollars to run expensive, Liberal partisan ads,” he said.
“If the Liberals are allowed to get away with huge changes to our tax system there’s no limits. Voting yes to scrap the HST sends a message they can’t get away with lying to taxpayers with impunity and selling out our province and our economy.”
Dix said he will continue to go from community to community to convince people to vote yes to scrap the HST.
“We can’t allow the Liberals to buy the referendum with taxpayer money,” he said.
“People need to vote and make their voice heard.”
He said the Liberal government is counting on poor voter turnout, reminiscent of the last referendum where only 38 per cent of the eligible votes made the effort.
Despite the postal strike, voters can still cast their HST ballot and drop it off in a ballot box at the Quesnel government office.