A petition designed to sink the Harmonized Sales Tax is ready for deployment after being green lit by Elections BC.
Former Premier Bill Vander Zalm filed for the citizen's Initiative petition and plans to start collecting signatures on April 6 through his Fight HST group. The group needs 10 per cent of registered voters in all 85 electoral districts to sign on within 90 days to force the government to nullify legislation and go back to the drawing board.
"We need about 300,000 votes," said Fight HST spokesperson and 24 hours columnist Bill Tieleman. "It's definitely a challenge but people are furious about this. A lot of people are just starting to realize how much the extra seven per cent [tax] is going to affect them."
Vander Zalm was out of town for the news, but issued a statement urging people to back the petition.
"The citizen's Initiative petition is our first move and it is the people's opportunity to tell the governments that we are still a democracy," he wrote. "The Initiative is also the people’s opportunity to kill the HST."
The amalgamated provincial tax kicks in July 1, 2010. More information on the campaign and petition can be found at www.fighthst.com.
Matt Kieltyka reports for 24 Hours Vancouver.
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G West
2 years ago
this is good news
BUT NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS
Let's pick up the ball and shove it back in Campbell's face - hard and often.
BC Boy
2 years ago
This will fail.
THis will fail. A former disgraced Premier
and a leader of a third party leading people to sign up 10% of the registered voters in each of the provincial ridings within 90 days.
Even if it's achieved, all that does is have an initiative presented to the government. It does not defeat the HST immediately. The legislature has the power to vote on the initiative bill ,amend it and provide a vote to the Legislature or
to provide for a vote amongst the people which would occur in 2011. Then, the people
have the right to vote for or against it.
It would have been much simpler to have had
those opposed to the BC Liberals work a little harder (minus the rhetoric) to win government for the NDP. But that didn't happen. The voter turnout was abysmal.
So now we have a disgraced Premier working with a former senior operative of the NDP (two parties which disliked each other) on something that will be doomed to fail.
The HST legislation will be passed even before the chain of events on this initiative has even been completed.
Would have been much easier if there were more people working as volunteers for us in the NDP in the last election so we could have tossed out the BC Liberals.
zalm
2 years ago
Pass or fail
It will give every one of us something to do besides rage impotently. It will get more than 400,000 signatures, but probably not in every riding, and will generate a storm of embarrassment for the government, will provide fodder for any media that care to highlight the harm it does to the poor already struggling to get by, the restaurants that will close down, and best of all, this will all be taking place as the last of the big bills for our Owe-limpic hangover come straggling in right behind the bonuses paid to the VANOC flunkies, most of whom will leave town to avoid the lynch mobs.
I predict a hot summer with lots of thunder and lightning, and all the pitchforks and fires you'll see won't just be in the forests, but in the cities too, as Gordo crowns his golden decade by forcing a $4 billion deficit budget through, and then cancels the sitting as the provincial debt skyrockets past $60 billion.
My opinion. Should I submit it to the Guardian? Faux News? Will I make a lot of money?
morechatter
2 years ago
The people will have their say!
Its making government accountable to the people and there is no losing even if the HST becomes a reality it will be perfectly clear to government the residents of BC do not want the HST tax the Cons and Libs are shoving down their throats.
WHAT
2 years ago
BC Boy
I haven't found one person who supports the HST, other than bc liberal hacks. this may be the one time in history enough pissed off people start to realize they have been had. I know of a great deal of people that will close shop, leave work in order to vote the HST down.
Funny thing is the government is already starting to prepare their systems for the upcoming HST. Talk about arrogance!
There are a number of factors, generations, coming to a crucial boiling point. If there was one point in history this is the time for a successful recall to occur, this is what happens after 10 years of corruption. All the political strategy in the world won't help them now.
realisticman
2 years ago
Bob knows
"...I don't care how many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pack up your money, pick up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere ..."
Bob Dylan
next.