HST petition soars above legal threshold

VICTORIA -- Organizers of a petition to repeal the harmonized sales tax said Monday they now have signatures from 15 per cent of people in all 85 ridings across the province.

The benchmark puts the group well ahead of the legal requirement for a successful petition, greatly increasing the likelihood it will pass.

To be successful, a petition must be signed by 10 per cent of registered voters in each provincial riding.

After the petition is submitted, Elections BC will validate each signature to make sure they belong to people living in the proper ridings.

If successful, the petition will be referred to a government committee, which will need to determine what happens next.

In a news release, petition co-organizer Chris Delaney said the 15-per-cent threshold means one in three signatures could be discarded and the petition will still meet the needed 10-per-cent support in each riding.

"These are amazing numbers, and prove unequivocally that British Columbians of every persuasion reject the HST," he said in the release.

Former premier and petition co-organizer Bill Vander Zalm said the result shows Premier Gordon Campbell needs to repeal the HST.

"Cancelling the HST now would not only save British Columbia consumers and businesses from the HST, but it might even save his government," Vander Zalm said in the news release.

"There is nothing more to wait for," he added.

"Stop fighting your own people and cancel the HST now."

The HST, which merges the PST and GST into one tax, comes into effect on July 1.

jfowlie@vancovuersun.com