Re: Calculations fail to add up, July 12 letters.
Letter-writer Dr. Herbert Spencer completely misrepresented what I wrote on June 24 (Getting to ‘no’).
My original letter merely noted that the GST was applied to nearly all purchases prior to the HST.
Yet Spencer stated I “failed to recognize the HST is a combined tax, which adds a new tax – let’s call it the ‘GST extension’ – to the pre-existing GST, replacing, where applicable, the PST, to make a new integrated tax – the HST.”
And he went on and on saying things that had nothing to do with what I stated, and was just a lot of double-talk to confuse the reader.
In reference to what he said about letter-writer Randy Elliston, which was published below mine, you can see he again distorted the truth. For example, Spencer writes, “the full range of services taxed by the GST – and therefore HST – is vastly larger than the few goods taxed under the PST.”
The statement is absolutely untrue. The range of goods tax by the GST was only 20 per cent greater than the PST. Also, the goods taxed by the PST were of the type most purchased by people. The lowering of the HST to 10 per cent, since it covers all goods and services, including those that were at 12 per cent under the PST/GST tax model, will actually save people money.
Spencer has lost credibility, because of his misrepresentation of myself and Elliston and his childish comments we should repeat our Grade 8 course on elementary percentages.
It is unfortunate people will use such tactics to try and sway people’s votes on such an important issue such as the HST versus the PST/GST.
Elmer Sather, Surrey