The Tax Was Too Darn High

B.C. voted to ditch its Harmonized Sales Tax in a binding referendum.

British Columbia residents voted down their Harmonized Sales Tax this week in a binding mail-in referendum. Out of 1.6 million respondents, 55 per cent voted against the tax, which combined five per cent GST with seven per cent PST. The province will now return to its old provincial sales tax. Premier Christy Clark tried desperately to save the Harmonized Sales Tax by promising to lower it after the referendum, but, alas, it could not be saved. Former premier Bill Vander Zalm spearheaded the anti-HST campaign with a petition that ultimately triggered the referendum, claiming the tax was too costly for the public. It seems many residents agreed (hence the term "Former premier Gordon Campbell"). B.C. government officials announced earlier the province would lose roughly $3 billion if the tax were repealed.