05.19.2011 02:50 PM

Tim Hudak on the HST, then and now

September 11, 2009:
“My plan is to stop this tax dead in its tracks.”

May 19, 2011:
Sun reporter: “This means that you accept that the general HST structure is beneficial to Ontario, that it does help business, that was the argument that the Liberals put forward.”

Hudak: “Yeah.”

16 Comments

  1. Mulletaur says:

    Whoa, flippy-floppy, hmmm ? Can’t wait to see somebody wearing the human sized flip flops during the campaign …

  2. JenS says:

    What I want to know is how he plans to deal with the financial repercussion of removing the debt retirement charge and the HST from home heating. There IS a financial reality attached to that, despite his followers whacked believe that you can reduce revenue without reducing service.

    • Michael says:

      Jen, you obviously do not know anything about vodoo economics. You increase revenue by decreasing taxes. Especially to the highest income earners. That way the money they save, trickles down to the plebes.

  3. That’s it. Knife’s out. Blog post, coming right up.

  4. Here’s the blog entry, as promised: http://blog.paulmckeever.ca/2011/05/20/on-tim-hudak-the-reins-of-power-and-the-reign-of-terror/

    Feel free to Share it, far and wide. The truth will out.

    P.

    • RN200 says:

      “I close with these words…mark them: A man will wield the reins of power in the same manner he obtains them.”

      LOL – so that explains why Dad McG has wielded power in such a bumbling, stumbling, accident-prone manner….

  5. RN200 says:

    Can I please see a similar post on “Jean Chretien on the GST, then and now” ?

    (Feel free to excerpt the “Red Book” if you like)

    • Michael says:

      Can I please see a comment that is relevant. Chretein has long since retired. Hudak is running for premier.

  6. Cath says:

    slow news day? People out here are ticked WK. Talked to a fellow close to the local NDP out this way who are hoping the Lib. war room’s paying more attention to Hudak than they are Horwath.

    Can’t believe it’s May 24 already – go have some fun and some serious R&R and forget all of this political stuff, because other than the diehards no one else is giving the provincial election any thought at all I’m betting.

  7. TofKW says:

    hoping the Lib. war room’s paying more attention to Hudak than they are Horwath

    The Ontario Liberals have a fail-safe mechanism against the NDP, just remind everyone what that did in government from 1990-1995.

    Sorry Mr Rae, you weren’t too bad, but what an f’ing gong show you had to work with! :O

  8. Michael says:

    The HST which many economists are lauding as one of the best ways to combat the recession.

    For two years, Hudak claimed to be outraged about the HST and repeatedly said he would stop it “dead in its tracks.” Hudak, not surprisingly, is not broadcasting the fact that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government gave Ontario $4.3 billion to harmonize the taxes. He has been exceedingly careful not to criticize his federal counterpart, laying the blame squarely at McGuinty’s door. Hudak also avoids talking about the fact that 93 per cent of Ontarians will likely receive income tax cuts. Most people will also receive HST rebate cheques of up to $1,000 over the next two years.
    Now though, Hudak has decided to keep the HST in place, virtually untouched (except on on home heating and hydro bills (a direct steal from the NDP)). Despite his rhetoric, Hudak would keep it in place on everything else — from haircuts to cars. When asked about his massive flip-flop, Hudak refused to answer the question. But we know why: Both opposition parties know Ontario remains deeply in debt and needs the revenue to support social programs. Virtually every economist and entrepreneur understands that the HST is a more efficient tax than the old PST, which penalized business investment.

    Hudak said the Tories will go one step further and also dump the debt retirement charge — that annoying and frustrating amount consumers fume about.(Ironically, it was the previous Tory government that introduced the charge.) The next tricky question for Hudak is how do you pay for it? It would cost $1.3 billion, cost the province much-needed tax revenue, and likely lead to cuts in health and education.

    In May Finance Minister Dwight Duncan stated that “Basically, the Conservatives are playing a shell game … hide the cost on the tax base, raise the province’s debt and make it more difficult to eliminate the deficit,” he said. In August, Ontario media reported that Hudak has finally admitted that he would borrow to pay for the tax cuts. Looks like Duncan was right- Hudak will raise the province’s debt in order to pay for his tax cuts.

    Tim Hudak will say anything to get into power. So if he has to flip-flop on the HST (or anything else), or if he has to hide his real plan, or cover up a $14 billion hole in his platform, he will. Because for Tim Hudak, it’s not about doing what’s right for Ontario families. It’s just about him.

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