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Liberal Tactics: Bamboozle and Bore HST Voters
Three sneaky ways they are trying to lower the number of votes cast in the referendum.
Cartoon by Ingrid Rice.
-
BC government will respect HST vote, but won't give refunds: Hansen
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Province altering HST ahead of mail-in vote
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Did Christy Clark Just Break an HST Promise?
Premier has stacked the deck in ways giving unfair advantage to pro-HST advocates.
BC Premier Christy Clark once called the way Gordon Campbell imposed the HST "sneaky." Little did British Columbians know at the time, but they hadn't even seen anything yet when it came to sneaky.
With close to 3.5 million ballots being mailed to voters this week, strategists with the BC Liberal party have launched a frontal assault on B.C. democracy by employing virtually every trick in a sorcerer's handbook to suppress voter turnout in order to increase the odds that the HST will survive this summer's referendum.
Their tactics -- amongst many -- include changing the date of the original Sept. 24 referendum to hold the vote in the lazy days of summer instead, throwing voters a curve ball question that requires them to vote Yes to say No, and then asking them to "mail it in."
It's not a coincidence that voters are rarely called to the polls in July or August. Indeed, the last time British Columbians were asked to vote in summer was on August 30th, 1972 when WAC Bennett was defeated.*
For or against... what?
The second trick: that school yard favourite "heads I win, tails you lose."
Normally, when someone asks a question the positive choice comes first, as in: "are you for or against it?"
The HST referendum breaks this rule by putting the negative option -- scrapping the HST -- the positive choice, as in: 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)?
So instead of voting "no" to the HST -- as groups who oppose the HST have said for months with slogans such as "Vote No" or "notothehst" -- voters who want to scrap the HST must now vote "yes."
It's wording that is intended to confuse British Columbians. At the very least, the first eight words of the question are manipulative.
In fact, research conducted by American political scientist David Magleby found that up to 20 per cent of voters cast mistaken votes when asked to vote "yes" to oppose a proposition. In one California initiative, a referendum on preserving rent controls, Magleby found that 23 per cent who supported rent controls mistakenly voted against them and 54 per cent who opposed controls voted for them.
The third trick in the B.C. government's handbook: "mailing it in."
A few U.S. states already use mail-in ballots, but a number of political scientists see voting by mail as a way to suppress votes.
Oregon has witnessed a continual decrease in turnout since the introduction of "vote-by-mail." And in California when elections included referendums or initiatives those who voted in person were more likely to vote on these issues than those who mailed it in.
The last mail-in vote
B.C. has had one mail-in referendum. Only 790,182 or less than 37 per cent of eligible voters dropped their ballot in the mailbox and of those over 26,000 ballots were rejected.
While mail-in ballots may be cost-effective, they don't produce a higher turnout by those who normally abstain or provide a fair representation of all voting groups in a society.
Usually, it's the higher educated who will sort through conflicting views in a referendum to make a decision.
Others are at a disadvantage when voting by mail: those with no fixed address, those who are functionally illiterate, new Canadians who may not sufficiently understand the common language, or those with little time to consider the issue.
While many British Columbians may believe that politicians would never manipulate voter behaviour to suppress turnout, nonetheless voters can't afford to ignore the reality that such tactics work when a government wants to foist an unpopular policy onto its citizens.
Not since U.S. Republican strategist Ed Rollins allegedly suppressed the turnout of black voters in the 1993 New Jersey governor's race by paying black voters to sit at home on election day, have citizens witnessed such a blatant attempt by a government to pass not just one but a series of curve balls by its own citizens.
Don't let political machinations disenfranchise you. And after Gordon Campbell's last campaign promise on the HST, don't fall for Premier Clark's pig in a poke this time round.
Get the facts from both the Yes and No sides. Then vote for what you believe is best for British Columbia.
*Story updated at 2:30 p.m. on June 10, 2011. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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32
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zalm
50 weeks ago
The test
The true measure of our new premier will be how she handles adversity. What happens when she doesn't get her way?
I'm handing her the test - I'm voting "Yes". Let's see what she's made of - how she's going to get the province out of this.
After all, if the measure is defeated, absolutely nothing will happen. The government will collectively make a decision about how to recover the missing tax monies in a different way, and decide how to approach the value added tax in a further round of negotiation with the public.
And meanwhile, our triple-A credit rating will not suffer one whit as we increase our total debt this fiscal year to $54 billion from $53 billion.
So much for the so-called "good money managers". Thanks for nuttin'.
A Drop in the Bucket
50 weeks ago
The yes no HST question.
Although the question may confuse some, theoretically the same amount of people who WANT the HST will be equally confused.
I believe that those opposed to the HST will be very careful too not make a mistake.
I`m surprised the writer of this article didn1t mention how the Government HST ads are LYING...Now before the moderators edit my comment.
There are Government HST ads that use PAST TENSE and state..." Now Since the HST has been lowered to 10%"snip
It hasn`t been lowered to 10% or 11%, it`s 12% period.
And one more thing, the referendum won`t be close, the results will go like this..
Yes to remove the HST..65%
No to retain the HST..35%
rantnic
50 weeks ago
Question?
It was Campbell that said he would honor the voters wishes and get rid of the HST if more than 50% of the votes cast were against the HST. Have we ever heard Christy say that she would honor Campbells word or will she suppress the real vote and insist that it must be 50% of the registered voters?
metacomet
50 weeks ago
Four outcomes: the BC
Four outcomes: the BC Liberals' contingencies for either a resounding acceptance or a resounding rejection of the HST are easily figured out.
Acceptance by only a small margin presents the biggest problem because all the sleazy tactics the BC Liberals have employed to obscure, confuse, bias, and skew the referendum will lead to accusations of fixing the vote, the potential for fraud inherent in the mail-in ballot leading the charge.
Because the BC Liberals have never demonstrated honour, don't be surprised if they blame those very same abuses should the HST be rejected by a narrow margin. What would they do then? Why, have another Referendum, of course.
"We promise we'll get it right, this time," they'll say.
Win or lose, expect the HST controversy to be around for a long time yet. The BC Liberals have never had such a good diversion from a whole raft of other evil deeds.
rantnic
50 weeks ago
NEVER
Never mind that man behind the curtain Dorthy! That's not a dam he's building, a pipeline, a dirty old mine, just watch the glittering ball of the HST. Diversion and distraction have never been better.
ron wilton
50 weeks ago
HST
On CBC radio this a.m., the pro HST speaker stated that we would be saving $120.00 annually with the HST.
The council that said HST would cost the 'average' family $350.00 annually, more than GST/PST.
I believe the radio head's saving came off of the $350.00, so in reality the 'new'(perhaps) %10 HST, will only be costing the 'average' family $230.00 annually.
The anti HST speaker did not clearly state that with the 'old' PST/GST we would not be paying (or 'saving' if you prefer) an extra $350.00 annually.
I don't know what constitutes the 'average' family, but I do note that my disposable income does not go as far as did a year ago.
Skywalker
50 weeks ago
Get their attention, vote yes!
Every thing about the promotion of the HST is about lies. The ads with the stick men don't mention the 10% only applying in 2014. It is all about being sneaky and Christy may accuse Campbell about being sneaky but she has learned from him.
Send these deceitful folks a message, vote yes and force them to deal with issues up front and in the open. Force them to provide the open and honest government they promised. The have not so far so it might be that we need to get their attention.
DPL
50 weeks ago
Vote Yes to get rid of the
Vote Yes to get rid of the HST. It's as easy as that. We managed to live with the GST and PST. The sky didn't fall then and it won't fall now as the HST gets booted out of our lives. The fibbing must stop Cristy and it can start with you
jim1966
50 weeks ago
Vote Yes
That's all there is to it. Vote yes and extinguish this tax once and for all.
OhCanada
50 weeks ago
Misleading advertising is against the law
I agree with ron wilton. My disposable income isn't taking me as far either as it did during the gst/pst time. And this isn't only because of the HST.
What is forgotten is that when the HST came in every business took the advantage and raised their prices without any announcement. Suddenly you paid more for milk, eggs, meat, etc. etc. The HST was a good opportunity to get more from the customer.
According to advertisement laws "An advertisement will contravene the law if it contains a representation that is either false or misleading".
The BC Governemnt is playing with the law here as their ad is misleading and deceptive. It does not say anything about the fact that we won't have 10% HST in 2011. If we are lucky we may get it in 2012.
As psychology goes most people hear "10%" - and think oh, it is a great idea. But it won't happen until another year! folks and we all know how much we can trust in government promises. They don't even bother with the fact that their ads are manipulative. And they are quick to call others' names if they oppose the tax. We have a "very intelligent" government indeed in BC.
The Smart Tax allieance lures public in with the slogan 'Vote no to higher taxes'. Again - who said the gst/pst will have to be raised if the HST is defeated? I really don't get the logic here. But when I look at who is the member of the STA group I get the picture.
We were just fine with the previous taxation. And I don't see businesses doing so well after the HST was brought in. But I have seen plenty of downtown restaurants empty when they were full prior to the HST. I see that customers are less in my local coffee shop. It used to be full all the time. It isn't anymore.
So let's cut the crap - people aren't stupid. Or are they?
It is YES for me. It is a no brainer.
Loke
50 weeks ago
Fixed
The fix was in from the beginning. The whole process has been "adjusted" and handled by a Liberal appointee who wasn't replaced by a non-partisan appointee till after it was a done deal and the liberals had no choice.
I also can't believe you missed the fact that the mail in campaign is also happening during a Canada Post strike. Doesn't matter if the mail is actually getting through, just having that in the headlines will make an impact.
JR
50 weeks ago
We get misled
We get misled by all Governments no matter what flavour. The Government will always give you just the information it wants you to hear and not the real story. Unfortunately this current Liberal Government has taken this to a whole new level. The HST is just the latest example. The stick men ads are most definitely not unbiased and only present some facts in a fashion designed to blur the lines. I see big dollars being invested in this campaign while we are being told it is fair. When I see Kevin Falcon saying who would vote for a 12% tax versus 10% while technically right it is a misleading statement. The 12% did not apply to everything and the 10% will apply to a whole host of new items and services. This is typical. For over a year we were told some "facts" about the HST and how good it is and all of a sudden The Government says we hear you and are fixing it. They have done nothing that was not already in the cards in the bribe contract they accepted. This is a tax transfer that no matter how you cut it will cost us all vastly more money that we used to pay. This is a windfall for Government and that is the only reason they want it. When I got my propaganda sheet and it talked about lost revenues in the hundreds of millions I had to laugh. Did someone raid the coffers at the Legislature to steal that money? No. The revenue is not lost it is hoped for. They brought in a bad tax policy and are now pulling out every trick in the book to get us to accept their word. Not a chance. I expect some obfuscation from MLA's but not this much. I sincerely hope everyone looks at all the facts and form their own decisions. I have and I will be voting against it.
catmobile68
50 weeks ago
'Tis a disingenious 1-2-3
'Tis a disingenious 1-2-3 punch to dissuade voters from marking their ballots whether they are anti- or pro- HST.
alive
50 weeks ago
Duh?
If crappy Christy can set aside enough money to cut the pecentage we pay to this province, then what difference does it make which system we have when it is reduced?
Dan the socialist
50 weeks ago
The CBC is reporting the
The CBC is reporting the opposition to HST is shrinking and at only 57%. HST opposition shrinking: survey. I am not surprised as BC and Canada are full of mindless sheeple...
Dan the socialist
50 weeks ago
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/06/09/bc-hst-angus-reid.html is the link.
Skywalker
50 weeks ago
Everything about the pro HST movement is a lie.
I don't know how anyone could believe anything that comes out of the mouth of a BC Liberal. The business community has not uttered a peep on reducing the HST to 10% (IN 2014 MIND YOU) and picking up some of the revenue loss because they know that the people are fed up with all the tax cuts they (business) have received. It is all about deceiving the public and voting "no" means you give them approval to do it again and again. Liars should be held accountable. Voting "yes" does just that.
Cool Hand
50 weeks ago
Quote:Dermod Travis -
Wrong!
1952 election called: April 10; held: June 12
1953 election called: April 10; held: June 9
Now the summer elections come into play:
1956 election called: Aug. 13; held: Sept. 19
1960 election called: Aug. 3; held: Sept. 12
1963 election called: Aug. 22; held: Sept. 30
1966 election called: Aug. 5; held: Sept. 12
1969 election called: July 21; held: Aug. 27
1972 election called: July 24; held: Aug. 30
No doubt. But the reverse effect is apparently true based upon statements attributed to ARS' Mario Canseco regarding today's ARS HST poll.
While the ARS poll showed 56% in favour of scrapping the HST and 44% in favour of retaining the HST, this fly in the ointment:
IOW, the ARS poll results could actually be:
Keep the HST: 55%
Scrap the HST: 45%
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/06/09/bc-hst-angus-reid.html
A Drop in the Bucket
50 weeks ago
According to the latest Angus Reid poll...
78% of people in the North oppose the HST...
60% of people in the interior oppose the HST.
65% of all females oppose the HST.
Angus Reid also asks about credibility, who is the least CREDIBLE.
Kevin Falcon is on top of that list, Falcon is rated...The LEAST CREDIBLE on the HST...
Interesting...And the media/the advertisers are second on that list as LEAST CREDIBLE on the HST.
Bill Vanderzalm is on the top of the list as MOST CREDIBLE on the HST.
Every jurisdiction, every age group, every financial group are opposed to the HST according to Angus Reid.
And just imagine, with all those opposed to the HST, if the HST referendum goes the BC Government`s way on a 50/50 toss up.
The public will freak, imagine solidifying 50% of the electorate against the Crusty Clark Liberals on one issue!
Add in a sad under-staffed court system, BC Rail cover-up, education nightmare, overcrowded Surrey school nightmare.
The cancellation of the evergreen line, a brand new carbon tax that Blair Leckstrom proposed.
Hydro rates, ferry rates, all her flip flops and lies.
And the really big one..
Crusty Clark cursed the Vancouver Canucks by lighting the OLYMPIC CAULDRON minutes before the start of game 3...
And it was a bright sunny evening, the cost of lighting the cauldron is $2000 dollars an hour.
Let`s call an election now!
A Drop in the Bucket
50 weeks ago
Crusty Clark cursed the Canucks.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Olympic+cauldron+ablaze+Canucks/4902560/story.html
A Drop in the Bucket
50 weeks ago
Crusty Clark cursed the Canucks.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Olympic+cauldron+ablaze+Canucks/4902560/story.html
A Drop in the Bucket
50 weeks ago
I was attempting to....
I was attempting to put the link to the detailed tables on the latest Angus Reid poll but.
But the Tyee filters will not let through the Angus Reid web site link, or the link to the detailed tables..
To confirm what I said about the poll..
Google up Angus Reid...Go to their web site, click their polll about the HST..June/9th/2011
Once at the poll, there is another link within the poll that will take you to the detailed tables.
Perhaps someone from the Tyee can explain why it won`t let those links through
Ramona
50 weeks ago
Voting yes to say no
I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland where things are not as they seem, after reading what the wording on the HST ballot will be and listening to the media. What is really sad is that I am not at all surprised by our Provincial Government trying to manipulate and confuse the voting public and it makes me ask myself Who is this Government representing? I was disappointed to hear reporting on an Angus Reid Poll on CBC radio yesterday regarding the HST referendum and hearing that there is concern that the voters who want to keep the HST will vote yes by mistake. I hope people question what they hear through the mainstream media as there appears to be a lot of doublespeak.
rantnic
50 weeks ago
A Drop
I followed your Angus Reid directions and found myself being amazed at how consistent the anti HST people are. We may interpret these questions as in a variety of ways but it still leads to the fact that the HST is the Hated Sales Tax. Personally I feel confident that Christy will not honor Premier Campbell's word and accept a "Yes" vote from more than 50% of the votes cast but will revert to the original referendum wording which requires more than 50% of the registered voters. After all "It's the law" and a good excuse to dismiss the will of the people.
crh
50 weeks ago
screwing with democracy
The point of having a referendum is to take it to the electorate to decide. If the government in power is fiddling with the outcome with vast amounts of money and time, then it is not democratic. Everyone should see that Christy Clark and her Liberal cohorts are not allowing democracy in this HST scam of a referendum.
Referendums are few and far in BC and this one needs to have the outcome of scrapping the HST in order to try and save what little democracy we have left in BC and Canada.
Geoff
50 weeks ago
@Cool Hand
Hi Cool Hand,
Dermond Travis has updated the statement you question. See the sentence marked with an asterisk.
The principle still stands, though, that summer elections have become quite rare, no?
Anyway, I'll leave it to you two to hash it out.
Geoff
RickW
50 weeks ago
I Agree With OhCanada
Although I like the concept of the HST, it being simpler for my business, I am voting "yes" to "X" it.
West Coaster
50 weeks ago
A leopard can't change its spots
Christy was extremely mean spirited and vindictive when she was Deputy Premier. All of a sudden we have this smiling, benign cheshire cat who cares. Really? Are we that gullible? So if Gordon Campbell came back after a few years and said he cares would we believe him? I think if Christy loses the HST vote, we'll see the mask come off. Just in time for the next election.
pwlg
49 weeks ago
bring back the VSE
Add this to the list...the Liberal-Socred coalition provincial government farm team we call local governments in the Vancouver region have refused to allow YES signs to be placed on public property and in the case of Surrey, public employees went around and seized (stole) the YES signs (Surrey has now recanted and is returning the signs and allowing them on public property).
The Mayor of Surrey's image is so important to her and the puppet masters in Victoria they gave her an exemption. The rest of the Mayors fell in line with Her Majesty.
Given the rising level of deceit and sheer con wouldn't opening up the doors of the disgraced Vancouver Stock Exchange provide a "safe" venue for liars and cheaters to ply their wares to the gullible?
mcturp
49 weeks ago
The measures that the BCFibs
The measures that the BCFibs are taking to get the hst in place makes me wonder who is running this province. It is clear the the BCFibs are spoksmen for big business & corps - and that is why they will risk everything to get this tax in place - it is what thier owners (big business) want. And I was silly enough to think that mla's were elected to look after thier constituants concerns - but that is not the case of the BCFib mla's - they think they are there to do the bidding of the corps. How any average working BCer could vote for them - and believe them - is beyond me.
korie
49 weeks ago
hst made me a tax collector
i am a business owner/home maintenance provider. i did not raise the rates of our service, the only increase came from the addition of the hst ($9.30 increase for lowest service call, up to $14.40 for highest service call)
i have not had that 'extra $$$ in my pocket', it sits in the bank waiting for the remittance to the province.
it has not lowered costs, many businesses have raised their rates along with the tax so the hst is more like a 15-20% increase, not just 12%.
as a service provider i was not selling any products, only my time and energies to provide a safer environment for my clients so when tax time came around instead of the $2800 in gst due (yippee, i worked 51 weeks this year and for the first time got my business to make a profit which i used to pay off debt incurred from previous year, now i pay more in taxes and cpp contributions which will not be around when i am ready to retire) i was hit with a whopper bill of another $6800 for hst. i did not get extra deductions for my business.
i have been forced to collect taxes, i abhor it, i refuse to swindle my clients who are seeing things get tighter and tighter every month by raising my rates.
i am not greedy, i am a small business owner/operator who has 1 child under 18, i will not accept their bribe (cheap cheap cheap) of $175 to look the other way and allow this illegal tax to continue!
VOTE YES TO EXTINGUISH THE HST! horrid slimeball tax, horse shit tax, hump & screw you tax, hair split tax...take your pick. the average bc'er is getting screwed by this leadership. get rid of the hst and get rid of party politics starting with christie! she was too well taught by campbell to even understand the word honesty!
Vox.Pop
49 weeks ago
HST is the Corporate Trojan Horse
VAT or HST is the principal method used by the corporate elite to move massive amounts of wealth from the middle-class to the super-rich. Once you are deep in debt, you stop thinking about others or politics or anything else & you are left scrambling to survive. Debt has been the secret weapon to enslave countries ("Economic Hitman") and whole groups in societies (US housing bust).
The Referendum Vote is the only time in modern history that a free people have had a chance to reject a state imposed tax. The elite are terrified that we will win this and this people's choice idea will spread around the world & unravel their carefully laid plans.
Remember, the rich have the money but we have the people - this is why it is vital to VOTE YES against this Horrible Sales Tax.