Editor, The News:
Re: Done with Dalton campaign holding HST debate (The News, March 11).
Corisa Bell, thank you for your invitation to a debate scheduled by your recall committee.
Marc Dalton will not be attending this debate, nor any future forums sponsored by your recall committee.
We appreciate your efforts to encourage discussion around public policy.
Within a few months, a referendum will take place in which all British Columbians will have a vote on the harmonized sales tax.
Mr. Dalton will welcome discussion with his constituents on the HST in the context of a referendum campaign.
The ‘Done with Dalton’ group is sponsoring this debate and clearly has an agenda other than simply debating the pros and cons of the harmonized sales tax. Our MLA has and will continue to engage his constituents in meaningful dialogue on the HST in the weeks and months ahead.
Mike Murray
I’m with Marc Campaign
All paying more
Editor, The News:
Re: MLA recall a waste of money (Letters, March 11).
Anne Rostvig is quoted as saying, “If my math is correct ... ” Well, it isn’t.
A tax of $1,300 at seven per cent would be $1,300/0.07 for a yearly expense of $18,571.43 – a very realistic figure.
The math can be further simplified. The government has said businesses are saving a combined $2 billion a year as a result of us paying this money on their behalf. If you take the $2 billion and divide it by the entire population of B.C., including children (4,500,000 people), it works out to $445 per person.
This works out to extra tax in the amounts of $1,780 per year for a family of four, $2,225 for a family of five, and $2,670 for family of six. We’re all paying more.
The worst part is, we aren’t paying more for improved services – or for anything for that matter. We’re just paying the tax bill for these businesses; think of it like your family handing over $100 a month to an already rich corporate executive – because that’s what we’re doing.
This is why the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association donated more than $40,000 to defend Ida Chong’s recall – it wants your money, and in the future, it’ll want to see the HST increased to further lower its taxation.
It’s painful to hear people complain about money required for a by-election when they don’t do anything about the more than $6 million dollars wasted on the Basi-Virk trial.
Want to know why these things happen? Because we let them. If more of us woke up one day and said “enough is enough,” maybe more citizens like Ms. Rostvig wouldn’t sound so disenfranchised and hopeless.
Jon Peters
Maple Ridge
Thank you
Editor, The News:
Re: Done with Dalton campaign holding HST debate (The News, March 11).
Thank you, Corisa Bell, I am sorry you have to suffer the lies and mistruths and whatever rhetoric it takes to throw a grain of doubt on anyone who dares to speak the truth or put their ethics or belief in democracy out there for all to see.
You better get used to it because the Liberals, and the right in general, have shown us repeatedly that they will do or say or pay anything to get their way. The Liberals can tolerate a lot of things, but the truth is not one of them. Unfortunately this lowbrow, Conservative attack propaganda does work with a lot of people.
You can be proud of yourself for having the courage to stand up for the people who matter. Just know that none of the people who belittle your motives and character would ever do what you are attempting because not one of them will do anything for nothing; they are ethically and morally challenged.
With so much apathy, we need more young people like Corisa Bell. I am sure your parents are very proud of you.
I wish you the very best in your quest to impose accountability on our public servants and democracy as a whole.
Wayne Clark
Maple Ridge