HST Referendum Results: BC Rejects HST

British Columbia Rejects HST in Referendum

British Columbia's voters have rejected the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in a province-wide referendum. 54.73% of voters voted to scrap the HST, while 45.27% wanted to keep it. 1,610,125 people voted overall.

• Elections BC: HST Referendum Results

On a mail-in ballot, voters had the choice between keeping the controversial  12% HST, with perhaps a chance of reducing it in 2014, or returning to GST and PST. A sticking point for voters was the question of whether or not Christie Clark, who promised an HST reduction, would still be Premier of BC in 2014.

Christie Clark inherited the HST from Gordon Campbell; the HST pretty much cost Campbell his job, as it became clear that he was planning on implementing the unpopular tax before the 2009 election.

The referendum was triggered after over half a million voters signed a petition under the Recall and Initiative Act. As voters rejected the option which featured a Clark-promised reduction, the HST referendum result may affect Christie Clark's plans for an autumn snap election.

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Canadian money looks like Monopoly money

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uploaded by JoeZeppi

This was really a referendum on how voters characterize British Columbia's economy: HST raised the street prices on services, and the Lower Mainland, where most British Columbians live, is a driven by a service economy; from restaurants to yoga classes to supermarkets to massage therapy, the "Vancouver lifestyle" got more expensive the moment HST was introduced.

Now Victoria will have to find a way to repay Ottawa for the money borrowed to implement the HST.