NDP says no to harmonized sales tax.

Layton claims that he will have a hard time supporting Harper if he introduces an HST law but he does not come out squarely and say he would vote against it. Ignatieff claims that he will not support any confidence motion but we will wait and see. The BC Liberals support the HST!

NDP says no HST

By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch
The harmonized sales tax is a $4-billion bribe being given to Ontario by the federal governnent, says the leader of the federal NDP. Jack Layton , speaking Saturday outside a local doughnut shop, said the HST tax grab should lie squarely on the shoulders of the Conservative government, who must pass the legislation in the House of Commons for it to become law on July 1, 2010. “I say to Stephen Harper you may try to run but you can’t hide,” said Layton on Saturday. “This is your tax. Eight per cent on about one-fifth of the things consumers of Northwestern Ontario are buying,, right down to your double-double and your donut.” Layton said that the tax will not bring more jobs to Thunder Bay, but in fact will do the opposite, reducing jobs because people will have less disposable income to spend. The Ontario government said it will offer $10.6 billion worth of tax relief, over three years, when HST goes in affect. Layton said that if the tax comes in July as planned, it will gobble up all the relief money. “We don’t think it’s right; we don’t think it is fair. What we should be doing is getting the infrastructure money going. (Ministers) could have transferred the gas tax last spring and we would have had all kinds of construction on the go.” Calling on Harper to transfer the gas tax in the next stimulus package, the longtime political leader said it’s not the first time the NDP have fought the implementation of an HST-style blended tax. Several years ago it was passed in Saskatchewan by the sitting Conservative government. It lasted until the next election, when the NDP were elected and had it repealed. In Nova Scotia, where the HST has been in effect for several years, the provincial NDP are doing their best to minimize the effect of the tax. “Premier Darrell Dexter, who has just become the Premier of Nova Scotia, is taking the tax off home heating fuel. So he’s undoing some of the damages to families that was done by that tax. It is a burden people can’t bear right now.” The HST wasn’t all that was on Layton’s mind during his whirlwind tour of Thunder Bay last weekend. A few weeks ago Layton met with Harper to discuss employment insurance. The Conservatives came out with an unusual billion-dollar budget proposal in September, which has never happened before, said Layton, whose party decided to back the government in a confidence motion recently brought forth by the Liberals, a move that prevented a forced election from being called. “We want that money flowing to families. If we get a billion dollars to tens of thousands of families across the country then by golly we don’t want to go to an election until people get that help.” But that partnership could be short-lived, he adding, saying that if Harper moves to make the sales tax a law he would have a tough time supporting the Conservatives in a House of Commons vote. The Liberals have already vowed not to support the Tories on any confidence motion.