Straight Talk

NDP Leader Adrian Dix questions government’s timeline for bringing back PST

by Yolande Cole on August 26th, 2011 at 2:56 PM
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      NDP Leader Adrian Dix questioned the timeline announced by the B.C. Liberal government today for bringing back the provincial sales tax system.

      “We’ve had the HST in place now for more than a year, and now they’re talking about another 19 months until we get back to the PST,” Dix told reporters by phone from Victoria today (August 26).

      “I really think what you’re seeing is the impact of failed government policies here,” he added. “If it takes 11 months to go to the HST, why does it take 19 months to go back? Those are questions that the government will have to answer.”

      Dix called the majority vote to extinguish the HST “a great day for democracy in British Columbia”.

      “It was really a terrific victory for the yes side, a victory for tax fairness, and really a victory for the people over Liberal arrogance,” he claimed. “So it’s a pretty good day in B.C.”

      Dix predicted the way the policy was handled will impact the B.C. Liberals.

      “I think in general the government handled this in an inept way,” he said. “So that will reflect badly on them.”

      “This isn’t a thunderstorm on a sunny day,” he added. “This has been a two-year campaign, people took the issue seriously, and a huge number of them voted, and 150,000 more voted yes than no.”

      Comments

      17 Comments

      David L.

      Aug 26, 2011 at 6:58pm

      Adrian Dix reminds me of a "Yapping little puppy"

      Sheep

      Aug 26, 2011 at 9:05pm

      As opposed to the Corporate Welfare Pigs squealing in the Lie-berals Party :)

      glen p robbins

      Aug 26, 2011 at 10:28pm

      You know, to be perfectly honest - Dix is coming off as quite competent - in my opinion - I know he isn't in government - but he definitely has leadership qualities -

      Morty

      Aug 26, 2011 at 11:23pm

      "If it takes 11 months to go to the HST, why does it take 19 months to go back?" Because now we have to restore a duplicate tax collection bureaucracy to handle the PST, Adrian. It's separate from the GST and applied differently, remember? (And while that's being done, we have to negotiate with the feds to repay that $1.6B they gave us to offset the cost of adopting the HST in the first place. I hope you're not going to complain about that next.)

      Efficiency. We haz it.

      GOT

      Aug 27, 2011 at 6:33am

      Although it's an affliction at many levels of government across our great country, the BC Liberals excel at a style of 2-speed government: Screwing Things Up Fast, and Fixing Lasts Usually Forever, commonly known as STUF and FLUF. The BC Rail scandal was a prime example of STUF and FLUF government, as is the recent sales tax fiasco. The defining characteristic of STUF and FLUF government is that by the time the smoke clears, huge amounts of taxpayers' money have been transferred into the pockets of the government's friends and supporters. I think BC voters have indicated very strongly that they've had enuf STUF and FLUF. We want an election.

      politics101

      Aug 27, 2011 at 6:51am

      Perhaps Adrian can explain why he was so strongly opposed to the HST here in BC while his counterpart in Nova Scotia after winning an election raises the HST in that province by 2% points and didn`t campaign on that -

      RonS

      Aug 27, 2011 at 8:45am

      Another question is, "why do we have to pay the money back?" after all, the LIbERalS have made BC a HAVE NOT province! Just consider that a transfer payment that the FUDS under Harper will have to make anyway until the NDP get back in and right the ship. Remember, you LIbERal PAB's, there was a surplus when the NDP were in power and they made the largest payment to date on BC's debt. In other words, the NDP balanced the budget, paid down the debt and handed the LIEberalS a 2 billion dollar cheque. Which they promptly gave away! We could sure use that now couldn't we. LIBERALS = CROOKS. What a bunch of incompetents!

      RealityCheck

      Aug 27, 2011 at 9:33am

      Agreed...Adrian Dix is becoming one of these guys in politics who have lots of complaints, but ZERO solutions. The sooner BC & the NDP sees the back of him, the better.

      kamwilly

      Aug 27, 2011 at 10:43am

      better a puppy than a corporations bitch

      ds

      Aug 27, 2011 at 7:01pm

      Gordy girl in the skirt is punishing us for not doing what she wanted. So we're stuck with it for another 19 months. We don't need it to make a deal with Harper as to when and how they get paid back. What a bunch of B/S and why did they spend it when they could see that may not last?