The HST referendum question 2011
British Columbians will be asked to decide on the fate of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) by voting in a province-wide referendum.
A referendum question has been prepared by Acting Chief Electoral Officer Craig James and was delivered to Attorney General Michael de Jong on November 10, 2010.
On April 8, 2011, the B.C. government announced the process by which British Columbians will cast their ballot in the HST referendum vote this summer.
Key Dates
Monday, June 13 – Elections BC starts mailing out referendum ballots for the HST to all registered voters.
Friday, June 24 – Majority of British Columbians have received the ballot.
Friday, July 8 – Last day for unregistered voters to request a ballot from Elections BC.
Friday, July 22, 4:30 p.m. (local time) – Completed ballots must be received by mail by Elections BC or in person by a Service BC centre.
Elections BC, a non-partisan office of the legislature, will conduct the referendum.
British Columbians who are not registered voters for a provincial election, or who have moved since the last election and have not updated their voter record, will need to request a ballot from Elections BC.
It will take several weeks for Elections BC to count the ballots. Results of the vote are expected in August.
The draft referendum question is:
Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)? Yes / No
Why the need for a referendum?
• More than 500,000 British Columbians signed an anti-HST petition this year.
• As a result of this petition, on September 13, 2010, the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives, an all-party committee, referred an initiative that would end the HST to the Chief Electoral Officer, to conduct a vote under sections 13 and 14 of the Recall and Initiative Act.
• The vote will be established by Regulation as recommended by the Attorney General.
• Premier Gordon Campbell has committed to acting on the results of the vote, based on a simple majority.
What are the implications for property buyers and sellers?
If the referendum succeeds, the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) will be brought back. It is likely that the exemptions that were in place before the HST will be reinstated.
This would mean PST would not be charged on EnergyStar Windows, thermal insulation, weather stripping and caulking or landscaping which includes food producing plants and trees such as tomato plants or blueberry bushes.
If approved by the government; this might mean that the application of the 7% could potentially disappear on:
• new homes
• real estate commissions, appraisal and home inspection
• services provided by landlords to residential tenants; including electricity, cable television and maintenance
• residential and commercial strata parking spots
• maintenance services on strata units
• the sale of assets of a corporation
• a range of other items such as Land Title and Survey Authority copy card sales and faxes
The government has created an HST Information Centre to better help British Columbians understand the HST, under John Les, MLA, Chilliwack, who is now Parliamentary Secretary for HST Information. For information, visit www.gov.bc.ca/hst
To read the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, An initiative to end the harmonized sales tax (HST), (February 4-August 23, 2010), go to www.elections.bc.ca, then to Referenda/Recall Initiative, and then to Initiative Vote 2011.
SOURCE: Real Estate Board of Vancouver
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