The anti-HST movement is gaining steam throughout the province. But what anti-HST petitions and anti-BC Harmonized Sales Tax campaigns will actually make a difference? What is the NO BC HST Facebook Campaign? Where can you find the anti-HST NDP Petition online? Will a BC Liberal Recall Campaign make sense? Find out more details and information about the anti-BC HST movement below.

Anti-HST Petitions Gaining Steam Through Facebook NO BC HST Campaign and the NDP HST Petition. Is a B.C. HST Recall Campaign the only way to Stop the British Columbia Harmonized Sales Tax?
It certainly took a while for the big news about the new British Columbia Harmonized Sales Tax implementation to sink in, but finally, we are seeing an increased amount of anti-HST petitions throughout the province. As expected, the anti-BC HST petitions are growing and the number of British Columbians who are expressing their anger at the BC Harmonized Sales Tax are not only getting stronger but also louder. The first campaign to come aboard was the Facebook NO BC HST petition which has gathered more than 80,000 Facebook supporters already. Most of the anti-HST Facebook NO BC HST group supporters indicate that the increased tax burden is unfair and unfounded, and is just a tax grab for the BC government. The second largest anti-HST petition out there is the NDP HST Petition lead by NDP leader Carole James. According to the anti HST NDP Petition website, there are now over 25,000 unique signatures from British Columbians who are adamantly opposed to the implementation of the BC Harmonized Sales Tax. According to the latest stats and surveys, over 85% of all British Columbians oppose the new BC HST 12% tax on goods and services. The harmonization of the 7% Provincial Sales Tax and the 5% Federal Goods and Services Tax has resulted in may anti-HST petitions online (such as the Facebook NO BC GST group and the NDP HST Petition), in community groups/centres and other organizations who denounce the BC Liberal Governments’ decision to apply the 12% HST tax next July 2010.

Why Are British Columbians Opposed to the BC Harmonized Sales Tax? And Why are the Anti-HST Petitions on Facebook NO BC HST and the Anti HST NDP Petition Gaining Support?
Most of the anger surrounding the NO BC HST campaign and anti-HST petitions around Vancouver and British Columbia are centred around 3 main issues that we have tried to summarize:

	The BC Harmonized Sales Tax or the B.C. HST is certainly a tax grab in which many goods and services which were PST exempt, are now subject to the new 12% HST tax. Such everday purchases as restaurants meals, haircuts, computers and even stationary will be hit by the Harmoznied Sales Tax of British Columbia. The increase in tax burdens for every day people is reason #1 why anti-HST petitions are growing and why the NO BC HST campaigns have thousands of followers.
	The BC Government has received $1.6 billion from the Federal Government in this transition to the 12% HST tax grab. Not only that, the BC Government will relinquish administration of the 12% BC HST over to the Federal Government, leaving it with very little control over the direction of the taxes moving forward. The money grab and tax grab by the BC Liberal Government is reason #2 why the NDP HST Recall Campaign and the anti-HST petitions are growing in number and support.
	The BC HST will hit the real estate industry really hard. From the perspective of the homebuyer, the 12% HST will be applied to any new homes, condos and townhouses, land and recreational property, effectively increasing the purchase price by at least 7%. For BC home owners, the British Columbia 12% HST tax is applied to any goods and services needed for operations, maintenance and even renovations to a home. Landlords and property owners renting their Vancouver homes will likely increase rents because of the extra BC HST 12% tax burden, affecting renters profoundly. With fewer homebuyers looking for new homes, the BC construction industry and real estate industries will likely suffer with fewer housing starts and developments. This is reason #3 why there are so many anti-HST petitions and campaigns in Vancouver and BC.

The NO BC HST Facebook Group is Gaining Support in Huge Numbers
As with any social media, Facebook has a huge draw amongst those who want to keep up with the latest news surrounding the new British Columbia Harmonized Sales Tax. Facebook has become the perfect anti-HST petition movement, gaining numbers very quickly. As soon as the BC Government announced the 12% HST tax in late July 2009, Bill Tieleman, a respected writer, started the NO BC HST Facebook Group. The number of Facebook supporters for the anti-HST petition online grew steadily over the first few days, but after the general public had a chance to dissect and understand the new BC HST rules, policies and regulations, opposition started increasing, and so did the number of followers on the NO BC HST Facebook Group. Now the number of anti BC HST Facebook followers on the NO BC HST group is heading towards 100,000 by the end of the week, which is huge considering the population of British Columbia is only about 4,000,000. As the NO BC HST Facebook Group content examines is the fact that over 85% of all people surveyed oppose the Harmonized Sales Tax that is going to be implemented on July 1st, 2010. Not only that, the latest Ipsos Reid survey also indicated that the general public is now understanding that most goods and services taxed at the 5% GST federal tax rate will be taxed at 12% HST next year, which represents a spike of 7% in taxes, which fuels the anti-BC HST movement. It is also mentioned in the Facebook NO BC HST group that consumers (regular people like you and I) will end up paying about $1.9 billion extra (yes, that is close to $2 billion in increase in taxes through the BC Harmonized Sales Tax) through this tax grab. What angers a lot of people who support the anti-HST petitions and movement is that none of the $1.9 billion is slated to go towards the much needed sectors such as education, social services or even health care. In addition, what’s different about the B.C. HST in comparison to those in Ontario and the Maritimes, is that the BC Liberal Government failed to consult the business industries and general public regarding this new Harmonized Sales Tax. Because of this, many voters and British Columbians feel that they have been wronged by the provincial government. The NO BC HST Facebook group is definitely a place where ordinary people can voice their opinions about the new tax, to vent their frustrations and anger towards the government as well as to support the anti-HST petition that is gaining steam and numbers. One of the important defining factors of this Facebook NO BC HST group online is that it is starting a social media buzz around the Day of Protest – NO BC HST that will take place at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Victoria Parliament lawns on Septebmer 26, 2009 at 12 noon. In any case, if you are to join a large anti-HST petition group, please consider the NO BC HST Facebook community by signing into your account at www.facebook.com and just searching for ‘NO BC HST’.

The Anti-HST NDP Petition Lead by Carole James
The petition to stop the BC Liberal HST is now online at the anti-HST NDP web page. Reaching about 20,000 (twenty thousand) supporters, the online anti-HST NDP petition against the B.C. Harmonized Sales Tax was lead by Carole James, leader of the NDP party. According to the NDP petition, Gordon Campbell of the BC Liberal Government broke his promise that he would not implement the BC HST tax during his term. However, just months after winning his post in government with the Liberal Government, they have now announced the implementation of the 12% BC HST tax on July 1, 2010. According the Carole James and the anti-HST NDP petition, the harmonized sales tax is a tax grab that will hike taxes by over $4 billion, much more than has been disclosed by the provincial government. Everyday goods and services will not be subject to the new HST tax, which comes into effect during the largest economic crisis in a century. With gaining momentum and support, the anti-HST NDP petition campaign will likely reach 50,000 signatures online by months end. According to the latest survey, only 34% of British Columbians would vote for a BC Liberal Government if an election were held today. Another survey indicated that eighty five per cent of all BC residents oppose or are anti-HST, causing these petitions and campaigns not only to linger, but to gain a lot of momentum among the general public. According to Carole James, the BC Liberals tried to announce the tax hike during the summer when they thought that fewer people would be paying attention. However, according to the numbers who have flocked to the anti HST NDP petition website, many people have noticed and are angered by the new tax. If you would like to join and show your support for the NDP anti-HST petition and campaign, please visit http://www.bcndp.ca/hstpetition.

The Anti-HST Movement Can Only Succeed with a BC Government Recall Campaign Aimed to end the Liberal Legislative Majority
According to some political experts, the only way to stop the BC HST or the Harmonized Sales Tax that is due for implementation on July 1st, 2010 is trhough a BC Government Recall Campaign. What this recall campaign will do is unseat some of the BC Liberals and therefore ending their Legislative majority that they currently enjoy. Therefore, many anti-HST campaigns and petitions are asking the general public to speak with their MLAs in regards to a recall campaign that would see the possibility that several BC Liberals be unseated from government. On the basis of ‘abuse of power’, if a certain number of BC Liberal MLAs are unseated, the Liberal majority will dwindle and they will lose the Legislative majority. This is the only way to stop the BC Harmonized Sales Tax. Unfortunately, an abuse of power campaign cannot be started until 18 months (eighteen months) after the election win according to the Elections B.C. rules and regulations, so no recall campaign can be undertaken until next November 2010. However, the NDP and other anti-HST petitions are asking individuals and groups to speak with their current MLAs to gain more support for the BC Liberal recall campaign and be ready for November 2010. How the BC recall campaign can work is that the recall petition has a total of sixty days (60 days) to file 40% of the signatures of those that voted in the May 12, 2009 BC election for that particular riding. If they are able to collect 40% of the support for that riding, the anti-HST recall campaign against BC Liberals in government will go through with ‘abuse of power’ implications. One other indirect advantage of the anti-BC HST recall campaigns is that if they garner a lot of support even before a recall petition can be filed in November 2010, it may force the hand of Gordon Campbell and Colin Hansen to reconsider this new harmonized sales tax. There are currently 13 BC Liberal MLAs who have a chance at getting ousted from a BC Liberal recall campaign, so this anti-HST movement is not over yet.

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