Former premier Bill Vander Zalm's petition to halt the harmonized sales tax (HST) has gotten its first, if small, thumbs up from the province.
B.C.'s chief electoral officer, Harry Neufeld, has granted approval for an initiative petition application that could derail the HST if it finds enough support in the province and the legislature.
The complex petition system works like this: Vander Zalm's campaign must collect signatures in support of a draft bill that would kill the HST from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in all 85 of B.C.'s electoral districts within 90 days of the petition being issued on April 6. If that can be done, a select standing committee in the legislature will have up to 30 days to meet to discuss the draft bill and will have up to 90 days to either recommend it have first reading in the legislature or be sent back to the chief electoral officer for an initiative vote. In an initiative vote, the public will have to cast votes, for or against, in September 2011. If the bill gets more than 50 per cent approval in the province and more than 50 per cent approval in at least two thirds of electoral areas, it must go to a first reading in the legislature.
Vander Zalm's draft bill calls for the repeal of the HST and a return to a seven per cent provincial sales tax. If successful, the money raised through the HST collected on items not currently taxed by the province will have to be refunded to residents on a per capita basis dating back to June 30, 2010.
Those who want to oppose Vander Zalm's petition must register with Elections B.C. by March 8.
Neufeld said this is the seventh initiative petition application to be approved in the 15 years the legislation for it has existed, though no other petition ever made it past the signature collecting phase.
The HST is set to be implemented in July.
