Opponents of the harmonized sales tax in B.C. have won the latest skirmish in their battle against provincial government's plans to combine the federal and provincial sales taxes.
Chief B.C. Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld says he's given anti-HST forces approval in principal to launch a petition against the tax.
Related: NDP Stop the Tax Petition
Neufeld says starting April 6, former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm, who leads the anti-HST fight, will have 90 days to collect signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in each of B.C.'s 85 electoral districts.
If Vander Zalm is successful, the HST proposal would have to be put to a public vote.
The B.C. government plans to combine the five per cent federal sales tax and seven per cent provincial tax into a single 12 per cent tax on July 1.
Critics say the plan will hurt taxpayers because it will add the levy to a range of items that have been exempt from provincial taxes, ranging from haircuts to restaurant meals or funerals.
Go to http://fighthst.com/ to learn more about fighting the proposed HST
