Albert Einstein said “the search for truth implies a duty. One must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true” and it is in this duty Norm Macdonald falls short in his rants against the HST. You don’t believe me? Let us do a simple fiction and fact exercise to see if Macdonald knows what he is talking about.

As stated by Macdonald in the June 22, 2011 Revelstoke Current publication:

1. Macdonald implies that the Smart Tax Alliance (STA) is made up of “big corporations” (Fiction)

(Fact) The STA includes organizations such as the Guide Outfitters Association, Tourism Vancouver, Truck Loggers Association, B.C. Agricultural Council, B.C. Trucking Association, and the Western Convenience Stores Association; to mention but a few and are  not “big corporations”.

1. Macdonald implies that the HST is solely born on the backs of the consumer. (Fiction)

(Fact) The recent changes made to the HST by Premier Clark reduces individual HST payments from 12% to 10% and increased corporate taxes from 10% to 12%

1. 3. Macdonald depicts the BC Liberal government as “a government that has lost touch with the voters it is supposed to work for” and that the voices of British Columbians are not being heard. (Fiction)

(Fact) The BC Liberal government engaged in an unprecedented listening exercise and heard from over 275,000 British Columbians who shared their ideas on how the HST can be improved. Constituents were clear that the benefits of the HST needed to be articulated and that better information be made available.

1. 4. Macdonald says  “if we allow this government to continue to fool us we are saying that misleading the public is ok.” (Fiction)

(Fact) In order to give British Columbians a clear understanding of the impact of the HST an independent panel of financial experts was commissioned by Premier Clark. The comprehensive summary of their findings showed that the HST had actually added an average cost to BC Families of $350. In response Premier Clark has set into action changes that are bold, responsive, fair and balanced.

Now let’s quickly look at some actual Facts around taxes and the NDP.

• In 1991 the NDP ran on a no tax increase platform and then imposed $2 billion in new taxes
• The NDP increased the PST from 6% to 7%
• Under the NDP,  B.C. had the highest marginal income taxes in Canada
• NDP leader Carole James wanted to implement a “death tax” and was quoted on Global TV May 31/04: “we’re the only country in the western world that does not have an inheritance tax.”  A tax that would have robbed families of assets that have been passed down from generation to generation.

So for me the lesson in all of Macdonald’s HST rhetorical fiction is simple; the NDP do not fulfill their duty to truth as they continue to conceal that which has been recognized to be true.

Doug Clovechok
President
BC Liberal Columbia River-Revelstoke Riding