In light of Finance Minister Kevin Falcon's announced cut to the Harmonized Sales Tax, a new poll finds the controversial levy supported by a narrow majority of decided British Columbians.
Forty-two per cent of respondents in the online poll, conducted by Ipsos Reid on Thursday and Friday, said they would now vote to keep the HST. Forty per cent still want to scrap it and reinstate the Provincial Sales Tax and Government Sales Tax.
The remaining 18 per cent said they were either undecided or not planning to vote in the June mail-in referendum that will determine the fate of the tax.
Ipsos said the poll marks "the first time there is a real possibility that the HST could survive," with voting intentions in a dead heat.
Sixty per cent of all respondents also said they approved of the government's plans to tweak the tax, including dropping it from 12 per cent to 10 per cent by July 2014.
The Liberals further promised to give families with children under the age of 18 a one-time transition cheque of $175 per child. Lower-income seniors will also receive a cheque for the same amount.
Ipsos said the survey has two caveats, the first being that respondents were told about the specific changes to the HST, setting them apart from the general population of voters "who likely have far less than universal awareness of the announced changes."
The company also said it did not measure the likelihood that respondents would actually vote on the matter, and that one side may be more motivated to vote than the other.
The poll surveyed 1,150 British Columbians and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
