It is the debate of the summer here in BC. Should we keep the HST in place with the promise that it will go from 12% down to 11% in 2012 and down once again to 10% in 2014. What does it really affect? I looked into their website, www.hstinbc.ca, to find out more about it. I was very happy to see that it will be added to fast food, processed food, pre-packaged food as well as your restaurant bill. I instantly thought, wow, the government is dinging you for unhealthy items and may possibly make you think twice before throwing just anything in your shopping cart or maybe entertaining the idea of making dinner at home instead of dining out, AWESOME!!
I also thought, what a great idea to add HST to the things that are damaging the environment and taking the easy way out and not add HST to reward those people who go fresh, green and healthy, but then I kept reading…
If I go the gym, I pay HST, if I go and buy a fuel efficient vehicle, I pay HST, if I go to Yoga, HST, if I hire guru cooking, HST. Anything that is good for me and the environment with the exception of fresh produce and your everyday staples like milk, butter and eggs will be dinged, and yet if I buy a vehicle that is not green, uses lots of fuel and is under $55,000 I am rewarded by paying less tax.
Who sits in Ottawa and comes up with this stuff? Who sat there and said, “HST should be added to children’s ski gloves, pre-packaged foods and fitness instructors”. How does it work, there has to be some real reasoning behind how it is implemented and on what, no?
Is it that green products are more expensive to make and maintain? Is it that those who go green are benefiting in the long run and the government wants a piece of those savings? If we are saving so much on fuel, we won’t be paying for taxes through the pumps so we should pay it upfront. Does it all even out in the end? I just like the idea of calculating 10% on my bill, it’s simple.
Please feel free to comment on this blog, whether you agree on HST or disagree, I would love to hear from you. Better yet, if you can explain the reasoning behind it all please let us all know!!
