Raise your voice to stop the HST
"Public hearings; those two words go together nicely
 if you believe in true democracy.”

- Dalton McGuinty, December 6, 1999

As Haldimand and Norfolk residents continue to send in petitions to stop the 13 per cent McGuinty sales tax, government's cavalier approach to force through his costly tax grab has turned up the volume at Queens Park.

Two weeks ago, government members initiated a scheme to silence opposition to their $3 billion dollar HST tax using parliamentary tricks to limit debate and deny any form of real public consultation.

As I’ve reported previously the HST would mean a 13 per cent tax on many everyday essentials not currently subject to PST – items ranging from gasoline, to electricity; haircuts to internet service.  Even funerals would be hit. For a middle-income family of four, the HST would mean up to $2,500 a year in additional taxes.

It’s clear your phone-calls, letters, and signatures on petitions, as well as other forms of protest, all are having an impact.

Recently, Mr. McGuinty bowed to pressure scrapping the proposed HST on coffee, newspapers and meals under four dollars. But, we must continue to push for further climb downs

To that end, we in Opposition continue to use every tool at our disposal to register the concerns of millions across the province.

Government attempts to short-circuit parliamentary debate forced PC members to stage a much publicized walk-out from the Legislature. The empty seats of caucus members served as a reminder to a government of the disdain for the tax.

With government bent on pushing their agenda through come hell or high water, we in Opposition are left to do everything possible to slow this train down before it pulls out of the station

Especially worrisome has been the admission from Finance Minister Dwight Duncan that the McGuinty Government’s HST deal contains a $4.3 billion poison pill designed to handcuff future governments from ever repealing tax grab.

Clearly, instead of putting cotton in their ears, this government should be listening to what people have to say through full public hearings. This is a tax on just about everything, paid by just about everyone!

If Mr. McGuinty actually believes that this tax grab is in the best interest of Ontario families – he would have the courage to hold open public consultations across the province. Instead we learned on Friday that the government plans to hold only one day of consultation on Thursday, in Toronto – and nowhere else!

With all this in mind, and time to voice dissent running out, anyone waiting on the sidelines should make their voices heard now. Contact my office to get your name on a petition or learn of other ways you can make your voice heard.

Time is of the essence as many HST related concerns and issues are leaking out daily. Adding to already well-founded consumer apprehension are hidden details about this tax the current government seems content to obscure.

For instance, many don’t realize that under the HST, Ontario surrenders its constitutionally-granted taxation powers to the whims of future federal governments. Once the HST is enacted, fundamental decisions about what is, and is not, subject to sales taxes will be made in Ottawa, not in the Ontario Legislature.

Meantime, at time of writing, news broke of the Federal government calling for a vote in Ottawa for or against the allowance of provinces to proceed with a harmonized sales tax. We’ll see.