B.C.'s HST Referendum Question Unveiled

British Columbians will have a chance to repeal the hated tax in a vote next year.

The question British Columbians will vote on next September is simple: “Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)? Yes/No.” Those 28 words are the culmination of an unprecedented campaign that has mobilized voters and forced three-time premier Gordon Campbell to resign. Campbell’s popularity plummeted after he instituted the HST only a month after winning re-election last year, even though during the campaign he said he had no plans to do so. Campbell has said the government he leaves behind will accept the verdict of a simple majority in the referendum, although the law requires a much higher standard.