The HST – Harmonized Sales Tax – debate has been raging in British Columbia for almost two years. During this time the BC Government has done little to properly educate the population on the benefits of the HST. Instead they allowed the Fight HST group to get most of the press and create great confusion.
The Government is starting to do some ads to show both sides of the debate but really the videos and websites lack pizazz. These are fairly typical videos which do not fully explain the issue.
Then a few days ago, Chris Thompson, a University of British Columbia Law Student and economics major published an AWESOME video entitled “Fight Fight HST” which destroys the Fight HST arguments and clearly demonstrates the good stuff about the HST.
Sure the video is a bit longer at 15 minutes than your usual Youtube video but again, it is AWESOME and because of all the misconceptions out there about the HST the 15 minutes is needed.
Sure, I have not double checked all of Chris’ facts. But the fact that Bill Vander Zalm and sidekick Chris Delaney have not come out against the video tells me Chris has done a good job.
I sent a note to Chris congratulating him on the video and reminding that in order to support the HST on the upcoming referendum that we the people actually have to vote NO (long story for another time). Chris wrote back right away with a thank-you.
Watch the video right now before reading on:
Hey! I said watch the video first…go back and watch it!
So, why did it take a student to put out this video while the government with all the resources in the Province could not do something half as engaging?
Lack of passion. Yes, lack of passion.
Many of the same people in Victoria who – and this is the technical term – @#$%’d up the communications of the HST in the first place and react to Twitter in the same way people do viewing a bloody car crash are now in charge of correcting their – and again this is a techy term – @#$% up.
Chris’ passion, editing skills and basic social media interest has a video which could assist the population in better understanding the HST.
Oh, fun fact, Chris’ video in three days has more views than ALL the Government’s HST videos over the last year combined.
So think about passion when you are working on your communications. Get input from folks outside your industry to get fresh, new ideas. Test your message on people you may have not thought about. Finally, get out of the way of folks who are not kissing the butts of politicians / bosses. These folks may be doing things differently than you and perhaps even better – and that can help you get the results you want.
Here is an interview Chris did this morning on CKNW’s Bill Good Show:
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More media with Chris:
CKNW Interview – May 25, 2011
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Vancouver Sun – UBC student uses YouTube to skewer HST opponents – May 25, 2011
News 1130 – UBC student video criticizing anti-HST campaign: YouTube hit Rebuttal to Bill Vander Zalm – May 25, 2011
Globe & Mail – HST ‘letter’ challenges arguments against tax – May 24, 2011
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This is a pretty good video. However like info from both sides, it massages the facts to beef up it’s case The biggest error though is the PST example.
If I make a pencil and sell it to a wholesaler it does. not have PST
When they sell it to a retailer no PST is charged.
The only time PST is charged is to the end user
Peter – thanks for your comment. Honestly, taxes on items has always left me confused. I shared your comment with two other people and one agreed with you and the other with Chris.
That said, if Chris’ video creates discussion than that is a very, very good thing.
Chris Delaney says that we should not listen to economists explaining the benefits of the HST because economists have never run a real company. Well, Chris. I hope that you never have a heart attack. Because if you do and you wish to be consistent in your thinking, you will have to seek treatment from someone who has had a heart attack rather than from a cardiologist who has extensive education on the subject and can render an informed opinion (unless, you get lucky and find a good cardiologist who also has had a heart attack).
In my previous message, please do not confuse Chris Delaney (the campaigning Conservative politician and Bill Vander Zalm’s pal in the fight against the HST) with Chris Thompson the creator of this excellent video.
I know the HST is supposed to be good for the economy but it makes little difference to business as they still pay the same tax, no matter how the spin doctors spin it. I work in the forest industry and the HST will have little to no effect on our business, no new jobs will be created, it does not give us any advantage what so ever over our competition. The HST rules are as complicated at the PST and GST and no accountant will lose his job over the HST, so there is no cost saving. Simply put, I do not like the way it was implemented, I do not appreciate being treated like an idiot by having people imply that this is the only way to save our economy. Someone should “pay” for the monumental screw up of it’s implementaion. Having said that, Campbell stepped down and the only person who will end up paying for this is me. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
Steve… Businesses still pay the same tax? No new jobs? No advantage for forestry over competition in the rest of Canada and the world? As complicated as the PST? No cost saving? Steve, please do some serious research on this. You need to be better informed before you vote. Then, if you still feel that a 12% PST/GST with all of the costs associated with bringing it back is superior, then vote for it but don’t assume that the PST will remain the same in future. Incidentally, the poor way in which the HST was brought in is a separate issue. Deal with that when you vote in the next election. The referendum issue is what is best for BC in the future. And be very aware that Adrian Dix is campaigning for the next election and, today, he admitted that he will keep the HST if it passes in the referendum and he becomes the premier.
I don’t think going back to the old system would be good for the economy (it will be a royal pain to revise our tax tables in my business) but I will vote against the HST because I want to punish the Liberals for lying.
I am not sure how going back to PST and GST is punishing the BC Liberals. If the HST does not pass, the BC Liberals are still in office. Voting them out of office during an election is the way to punish the government.
Former Premier Gordon Campbell is gone and I would suggest mostly because of how he mishandling the implementation and communication of the HST. So on that point, the punishment has been dealt.
Voting in favour of a “good tax” which is made better by going from 12% to 10% benefits all us non elected folks.
Voting against the HST merely to punish the Government is not helpful.
Mr. Thomsen has done a good job of researching the Mr. Vander Zalm’s report. However, one of the premises upon which he bases his decision to go with HST is in error. The PST is only charged at the retail till. When wholesalers and retailers purchase their wares, any purchases made for resale are exempt from PST. During his interview, Mr. Thomsen felt that the end product of the restaurant industry should be charged at the same 12% rate as products from other manufacturers. Please let me point out to Mr. Thomsen that most other producers have off-setting HST credits from the cost of supplies used to make their goods. Restaurants, on the other hand, purchase whole bulk foods on which there is no off-setting HST credit because these products are zero-rated. In other reports, spokespeople state that overall statistics from other countries, and from our maritime provinces, indicate that the initial drop in certain business sectors recovered over time as consumers adjusted to the increased costs. None of these researchers give any figures on the numbers of independent contractors and small businesses which were forced to close in the interim because the initial losses were more than they could afford. In the final analysis, the cost of their loss and subsequent cost of start-up for those new businesses which ultimately replaced them is measured as dots on a graph, not in human blood, sweat and tears. Neither is there any way to measure what the present outcome of these economies would have been otherwise.
When we go to the polls on this referendum, we are, each and all, to cast a ballot for the method of taxation we feel will be best for the future of our province. Please set aside partisanship, personal enmity and knee-jerk emotion; this is a time for careful thought, cool heads and independent investigation of the information being presented.
Trusting my fellow citizens to use good sense and happy to have had this added independent review of the topic . . ..
Chris,
I find that you are speaking way to fast for me to follow your arguments. What I do pick up on is your patronizing and disrespectful tone. I hate feeling like I am too stupid to understand why the HST is so good for me. All I know is that the nutraceutical that I sell only had 5% tax added to it before the HST (as well as to the shipping costs) and now it is costing my customers 12%. I have no way of ‘passing on’ any savings to them. My customer base has been seriously affected by this. Many of them are seniors. Frankly people can spout stats all they like but it is the daily lives of real people that are affected by this tax and at a time when no one is feeling secure about the economy.
I do appreciate that you have spent a good deal of your study time to make this video and thank you for being a concerned citizen.
regards
Teri
The HST vote was proff that participory democercy only works if the participants are:
1, rational
2. logical
3. intelligent
None of those were the case here.