Some business owners wish they could change their HST votes
Posted September 2, 2012 8:29 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s been just over a year since we voted to scrap the HST in favour of going back to GST/PST and results from a new survey show many business owners want to change their votes.
One quarter of the thousand business owners who voted to get rid of the HST would now vote to keep it, while 97 per cent of those who voted to keep the HST tax system would keep their vote the same.
Software provider Sage North America‘s Nancy Harris most respondents didn’t like the increased paperwork of going back to a PST/GST system.
“Fifty-eight per cent believed it would be a negative impact [for their business]. If you look back at the top concern, it probably goes back to the investment of their time to make the switch,” explains Harris. “And then interestingly, 18 per cent believed it would be a positive impact.”
Besides paper work and investment of their time, some business owners believe there will be a negative impact to the BC economy come next March when the switch back to the PST/GST system is made.
Overall, 45 per cent of owners believe they will be a “loser” after the switch next year, compared to the 15 per cent who believe they will be a “winner.”
