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Facts, figures not seen in photo

Editor: Re: HST hike ‘not while I’m finance minister’: Falcon, June 15. Regarding your front-page picture of the town hall meeting at the Kent Street Activity Centre June 12, your photographer would be considered totally incompetent but, in this case, the Peace Arch News is clearly irresponsible.
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The photograph below doesn’t accurately indicate attendance or Bill Vander Zalm’s demeanor

Editor:

Re: HST hike ‘not while I’m finance minister’: Falcon, June 15.

Regarding your front-page picture of the town hall meeting at the Kent Street Activity Centre June 12, your photographer would be considered totally incompetent but, in this case, the Peace Arch News is clearly irresponsible.

Your photographer was seen by all in attendance taking several photos of the entire room with approximately 120 people in attendance and very few empty seats. (Editor’s note: We reported approximately 75 people were in the audience.)

The empty chair you chose to portray is in the front row and, as everyone knows, most people do not like to sit in the front row.

This photo also shows three to four empty chairs on the stage. These chairs were placed there by volunteers of the Fight HST group who are fighting to prevent the government’s transfer of more than $2 billion from the taxpayers to the mega wealthy corporations every year.

The facts are that Bill Vander Zalm chose to stand to deliver our message – accompanied by Fight HST’s Sal Vetro – of whom you have captured a very small part of his middle body only, between the chin and shoulder of the close-up of the man seated to the right of your photo.

June 15 front-page photoThis photo you chose to print on your front page shows Vander Zalm with his arms up in the air and makes it look like he is very angry and ranting, which is absolutely not the case. He was merely stating our case and is not the mean, angry person you would make people believe he is. In fact, he is a very pleasant, even-tempered person and has worked very hard to get the truth out about the Hated Sales Tax.

I ask that you retract this false portrayal of a very important meeting and print one of your many photos capturing the true attendance and co-chair Sal Vetro.

Looking forward to a new photo, also on the front page.

Jean Moffat, Surrey

Getting to ‘no’

Re: They convinced us to say ‘yes,’ June 15 letters.

Barry Gaudin, of White Rock, said in a letter to your newspaper: “There are some who subscribe to the idea that if the lie is big enough and repeated often enough, there are those who will believe it.”

He accuses the government of lying in its advertisements when they state all financial transactions in B.C. were subject to GST. He goes further on to say hair salons, barbershops and restaurant meals were GST exempt.

Mr. Gaudin, I suggest instead of accusing the government of lying you start by being factual yourself.

Heck, before the HST even if you bought a hot dog at Costco, you paid GST on it.

Elmer Sather, Surrey

• • •

Someone wrote “I’m not that naive or stupid,”  preceded by some supposed HST math.

You may not be stupid but your math is terrible. Your $6,000 in HST means you had to spend $50,000. $50,000 x 12% = $6,000 of HST. If HST is reduced to 10 per cent then $50,000 x 10% = $5,000, a savings of $1,000, not $120 as you figured.

I’ll take $1,000 in savings, how about you?

Despite the fact that the tax was introduced in a questionable manner, it is still a simpler, more transparent and more efficient tax than the PST/GST.

Give your head a shake, people, and take the two per cent cut. Vote ‘no’ to going backwards to the antiquated GST/PST.

Randy Elliston, Surrey