B.C. anti-HST petition hits 400,000 names

Anti-HST canvassers in B.C. have collected 400,000 signatures so far in their campaign to have the harmonized sales tax withdrawn, organizers say.

The petition has also achieved the 10-per-cent threshold in 56 of the province's 85 ridings, lead organizer Chris Delaney said Monday.

In 34 of the ridings, Delaney said, canvassers have collected signatures of at least 15 per cent of registered voters.

"What is really exciting is the big jump in signatures in both Vancouver and Burnaby this week," he said in a news release. "We were a little slow getting started in those ridings, but they are catching up quickly."

The petition hit the 300,000-signature milestone on May 4.

Eight weeks remain in campaign

The petition campaign has until July 5 to collect the signatures of ten per cent of voters in each riding.

Under B.C.'s Recall and Initiative Act, if the petition meets the requirements, the provincial government would have either to present a bill in the legislature that repealsthe HST or hold a non-binding referendum on the tax.

If the anti-HST forces win thereferendum, the government then has no choice but to introduce a bill repealing the HST. With a Liberal majority in the legislature, the bill likely wouldnot pass, butstill would present a major political embarrassment to the government.

Former premier Bill Vander Zalm, who is heading up the anti-HST campaign with the co-operation of the provincial NDP, said the government should not bother waiting for the petition protest to be completed.

"There can no longer be any purpose to continuing with a tax that nobody wants," Vander Zalm said in a news release. "We call on Premier [Gordon] Campbell to get rid of the HST once and for all."

The 12-per-cent tax officially comes into effect July 1, although some businesses were required to start collecting it May 1.

The tax combines the five-per-cent federal goods and services tax (GST) and the seven-per cent provincial sales tax (PST), but is applied to many products and services that were not previously subject to the provincial tax.