The votes are in. Ontario's Liberal government passed legislation to create a single 13 per cent Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) beginning July 1, 2010. The final vote came after weeks of staunch opposition in the Ontario legislature. However, as NDP leader Andrea Horwath stated, the Liberal majority was able to "ram through the HST bill…with little debate as possible."
The Liberals are enthusiastic about the HST. In a province still reeling from massive unemployment due to the current recession, the government estimates that the new tax will help create 600,000 new jobs over the next decade. Blending the PST and the GST will lower costs for businesses. This, in turn, will allow businesses to lower prices for consumers and hire more staff.
The opposition parties are adamant that the public, if asked, would strongly oppose the new HST and, thus, the Liberals did not take the tax issue to the polls. The opposition feels that the tax bill was railroaded as a way to increase tax revenues for the province. While many businesses will, indeed, benefit from the new tax, consumers will ultimately pay more from their pockets. Current PST exempt items including gasoline, home heating fuel, and cable TV will now be taxed under the new HST.
The new tax legislation is not without compensation. January 1, 2010 will see the implementation of tax cuts to both corporate and income taxes. Furthermore, some families will be entitled to a one-time rebate of up to $1,000 to offset the tax impact.
Ontario is not the only province to implement the HST. New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador have already done so. British Columbia has passed legislation to implement the HST next year as well.
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