Are New Democrats and Vaughn Palmer between a rock and a hard place on HST?

In today's Vancouver Sun, political writer Vaughn Palmer wrote a column entitled "New Democrats caught between an HST rock and a Vander Zalm place".

It highlighted how some NDP MLAs are working with the former Socred premier on his initiative to eliminate the 12-percent harmonized sales tax. When it takes effect on July 1, the HST will integrate the five-percent GST with the seven-percent provincial sales tax, which will be extended over many new areas already covered by the GST.

I'm sure that some New Democrats are smarting from that article, given their history of opposing Bill Vander Zalm on so many policy issues.

Perhaps these NDP MLAs can console themselves with the thought that Palmer himself could be caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the HST.

As I've reported before on this site, Palmer has a public-speaking career in addition to his work as a paid columnist.

In the past, he has appeared at events sponsored by such groups as the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Forest Industries, and the B.C. Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association.

National Speakers Bureau, which has arranged Palmer's speaking engagements, used to advertise on its Web site that he could be booked for $3,000 to $5,000 per appearance. I don't know how much, if anything, he charged to speak to these particular groups.

Here's what they're saying about the HST.

On March 8, the B.C. Chamber of Commerce issued a news release trumpeting a report by University of Calgary economist Jack Mintz, who claimed that the HST would bring $11.5 billion in capital investment to B.C. and create 113,000 jobs by 2020.

Meanwhile, the Council of Forest Industries attached its name to a news release, which was signed by numerous other business groups including the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, describing the HST as "vital to sustaining economic prosperity" in B.C. You can read it here on COFI's Web site.

The B.C. Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association signed the same news release. It also issued a separate news release entitled "New Harmonized Sales Tax Will Have a Postive Effect on BC businesses".

Some of Palmer's clients not only like the HST, they see it as a vital ingredient in securing the province's economic prosperity.

As we head into the season of annual general meetings, business organizations might be considering booking him as a keynote speaker.

But they might get cold feet if they perceive that Palmer will come to their convention, rip into the HST, and undermine the message that they're trying to send to their own members as well as to the broader public.

That, New Democrats might suggest, could theoretically put Palmer in an awkward position when it comes to the HST.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.