Thread: Real Tax Revolt. Real Success. Real Results.

I live in BC. And we're undergoing a little tax revolt up here. It's been about a year in the making and the characters and personalities involved are epic. Things have just reached a point of success for the masses - the Premier (The head of the Province) announced his resignation.

Total Victory for the people of the Province, and I think a great example for anti-tax movements everywhere.

The liberals (the Liberals are the RIGHT wing party) in BC ran for re-election and won on a 'stay the course' platform. Pretty much the moment they won, they signed a deal with the federal government for a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). Better known as a Value Added Tax (VAT). Basically, taxes go down for businesses and WAY up for consumers... with the reasoning that the savings to businesses will.... trickle down.... to make lower prices for consumers. Of course the new HST would apply to hundreds, if not thousands of things that used to be completely untaxed: things like food, children's clothes, books... essentials that were untaxed for a reason. The total tax for EVERYTHING at point of purchass is suddenly 12%.

The problem was not so much the 12% tax on things that used to be untaxed... it was the fact that the Liberals (righties, remember) ran for re-election without once bothering to mention anything about this... then swooped 'er in with full federal agreement after winning. A freedom of Information Act request confirmed they had disciussed the deal with the feds before and even during the election. Woops.

People were pissed... and a movement began to force government to eliminate it.

Now usually you can imagine how much success that movement would have... we'll they've almost done it.

Elections BC told them they had to get the signatures of 10% of registered voters in each and every one of the Provinces 85 ridings to force a referendum on the tax. We're talking about a Province the size of Seattle to Alaska, from Portland to Idaho. 10% in every riding. They did it. It was a massive undertaking, involving volunteers in every single riding getting thousands of signatures and verifying them as registered voters. It was a HUGE effot. And they (we) did it.

So they took the petitions to Elections BC and they were verified. And the rules stated that the referendum would need 60% approval to defeat the tax. The Premier by this time was public enemy number one and the government was held hoistage by this one issue. The people wanted his head and he knew it.

Not content to sit and wait for the referendum, the Anti-HST movement has now declared that they are going to go after every Liberal MLA in every riding they have... and apply for recalls, based on the dshonesty of the election. They called it "Survivor MLS" and they encourgaed cities to nominate their MLA for the first round of attacks. They're doing it.

Now last week the Premier himself has resigned in disgrace. Au revoir Gordon. Not quite the legacy you'd imagined... but you fucked with 3 million people's food and children's clothing.

No question whatsoever that the tax will be defeated when it makes it to referendum, which it now must before 2012.

I never thought they could do it, but it's a perfect example of what can be done by following the rules, working together, calling people accountable for their actions.. and basically just being a thorn in the side of corrupt politicians until they resign.

At no time during the successful tax revolt was a giant flag or collection of flags waved, nor was God's name or wrath invoked, no troops were supported, noon cried, no invasion of Iran was pondered, nor an immigrant blamed.

I think that's also quite important to the moral of the story.

Too wordy? Should I sum up in a ten word sound bite?

Well don't get me wrong Morgan.... I'm still paying 12%sales tax on every goldurned thing I buy. And all purchassing of large items, including housing of course, is now crippled because noone wants to be the goat who buys a condo 6 months before the referendum that reduces 40,000 off the taxes.

Everyone expected that when the referendum was announced they would promise a retroactive refund of taxes on major purchasses made in the meantime. So far nothing. Who's gonna buy a home, boat or car now? You'd be a fool.

But my real point was that you can fight taxes and kick out the lying bastards as a WHOLE Electorate. You don't find people to blame it on and wave a flag in their face, thus alienating all the people you need to be mobilizing to keep government honest.

"I'm tired of being overtaxed. Who's with me?" ... gets universal agreement.

"I'm tired of being taxed by socialists and I want to go back to an ideal time best known by many as the heyday of slavery and ethnic cleansing of natives, and make sure that all laws are based on MY religion only. Who's with me?" ... doesn't get much of anything.