BC HST referendum results expected today

[Hatman 🍁]

Results will be here: http://electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net/electionsbcenr/REF-2011-001.html

Sign seen when I was in Vancouver


Report expected from my blog when the results are in.

[DL]

I predict people will vote Yes to Extinguish the HST by a 54-46 margin.

[Hatman 🍁]

It is expected to be close.

[minionofmidas]

What does it mean?

[Hatman 🍁]

What does it mean?

The HST is an unpopular tax the BC Liberals brought in to harmonize provincial and federal goods and services taxes. While it will save the governments money, it also increases taxes on certain things. Ontario introduced the HST here too, but there was less outrage about it. (In BC, the Premier resigned over it, and they got a referendum). One of its effects was increasing tax on gas, which pissed a lot of the working and middle classes off. In Ontario, the NDP and the Tories are against it, and in BC the NDP is against it. Voting yes on the referendum will get rid of it.

[minionofmidas]

If it increased tax on gas, count me as a no.

[Foucaulf]

I was hoping the HST discussion would be amalgamated into my BC politics thread. Then again, the referendum has eclipsed all other politics in a way.

What does it mean?

Adding to Hatman's post...
The HST is a VAT that combines the provincial Provincial Sales Tax and the federal Goods and Services Tax. Since the HST operates under GST rules, services previously exempt from the PST are subject to a tax hike from 5% to 12%. The outrage from such an unexpected rise lead to a campaign to stage a referendum on its future.

If people want, I could write on the consequences of either option winning.

[minionofmidas]

So it's levied in one step, the money then split between the feds and the province?

I remember when I was in Alberta that you always had to mentally add sales tax to supermarket prizes. Quite annoying, I thought that.

[Hatman 🍁]

So it's levied in one step, the money then split between the feds and the province?

I remember when I was in Alberta that you always had to mentally add sales tax to supermarket prizes. Quite annoying, I thought that.

Wha? Groceries are exempt from VATs.

[minionofmidas]

So it's levied in one step, the money then split between the feds and the province?

I remember when I was in Alberta that you always had to mentally add sales tax to supermarket prizes. Quite annoying, I thought that.

Wha? Groceries are exempt from VATs.

Maybe it was only on certain items? This was 17 years ago.

According to wikipedia, Alberta doesn't even have a provincial sales tax.

[Foucaulf]

The referendum results are out: 54.7% YES to 45.3% NO
The HST is dead - may this Liberal government fall with it.

Quick notes:

-I hope no one says "suburbanites voted against the HST". Prominent exceptions are White Rock, Cloverdale, West Vancouver and Abbotsford. But these exceptions are majority white. Look at the suburbs that voted for (Richmond, North Surrey, North Delta), and I come to the conclusion that immigrants heavily supported abolishing the HST. They were unlike native electors, some who would have noticed the government's promise of a 2% rate decrease.
-Vancouver is divided between the affluent West side (voting ~55% NO) and the hodgepodge East (voting ~65% YES).
-Every riding represented by a NDP candidate voted YES, the average margin being around the high fifties. The lowest YES percentage in a NDP riding is Saanich South, 52.5%. The NDP candidate won there by 400 votes.
-Kamloops-North Thompson is the riding with results closest to the provincial mean, being the same to the nearest hundredth.

-There is zero probability of a fall election. This is unusually strong language from me, but I do not see the Liberals going along with a green leader when half of their caucus could perish in the process.

[Hatman 🍁]

So, does this mean an election?

[RogueBeaver]

So, does this mean an election?

Not unless Clark wants to lose badly to Dix's NDP. Her task of restoring the BCLP's fortunes before 2013 was hard enough, now it's become a lot harder.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

map

[Foucaulf]

Finance Minister Kevin Falcon stated the HST will be abolished by March 31st, 2013. This would be a month and a fortnight before the next scheduled election.

The federal government has already issued a statement saying it wants its money back. 1.6 billion was given to BC over three years as an incentive for adopting the HST, but not anymore.

[DL]

I predict people will vote Yes to Extinguish the HST by a 54-46 margin.

I declare myself the oracle!!

BTW: Unbelievable as it may seem, I hear that Christy "Dumb as a post" Clark is still all set to call a fall election. She is so arrogant and full of herself that's she is absolutely convinced that people will vote for her because she's pretty.

[Hash]

Map!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Haha, fairly clear class patterns there then. No surprise given the sort of tax this is...

[DL]

The only wealthy ridings to vote Yes to extinguishing the HST are the three Richmond seats and Vancouver-Langara - all with heavy Chinese populations.

[Hatman 🍁]

Map!

beat me to it

I guess I wont post mine here then.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Why not? The more maps the better.

[Hatman 🍁]

Well, you can see it on my blog: http://canadianelectionatlas.blogspot.com/2011/08/referendum-to-abolish-hst-fails-in-bc.html

[mileslunn]

Not too big a surprise, although to be frank, I thought the yes side would win with a much bigger margin than it did.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Map!

thank you

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I added dots to represent the ridings that voted BC Liberal but voted against their own party. The more dots the stronger the vote for the party.

It's quite clear that Richmond defeated the HST, with help from parts of Surrey. The other only other areas to vote incorrectly, outside the NDP ridings, were along the Alberta border, and I can't really blame them for being so close to something so evil when it comes to taxes.