Research and Polls Results on HST Released

By 250 News

Vancouver, B.C.- The Provincial Government of B.C.'s "HST" office has released  data from  some polling andd focus group work aimed at  helping to shape  the office's future activities.

"The HST Information Office was established to provide information and help facilitate a fact-based dialogue with British Columbians in order to have an informed vote," said John Les, parliamentary secretary for the HST. "This research provides an important basis upon which we can learn from past mistakes and develop a plan that helps further the goal of having a well informed electorate in advance of voting on the HST."

"While the implementation of the HST was problematic and has led to confusion and anger among many British Columbians, there is a strong understanding that this is an important decision," said Les. "This research shows that British Columbians, while still very concerned about the introduction of the HST and its impacts, desire more factual information prior to voting."

Opinion polling was conducted by Harris/Decima, one of Canada's most established names in public opinion and market research with over 25 years of experience in the field. Focus group testing was conducted by Innovative Research, a Canadian leader in public opinion research and focus group testing.

Polling Results:

Between Nov. 16-23, 2010, 887 British Columbians were surveyed. Polling results are accurate within 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

* 67 per cent support the decision to hold a referendum on the Harmonized Sales Tax.

* 45 per cent believe that a return to the PST/GST would have a negative impact on the Province's budget, versus 22 per cent who believe it would have a positive impact.

* 63 per cent are not satisfied with the information provided about the HST, and 72 per cent have not personally received any information.

* 47 per cent do not believe they currently have enough information to make an informed choice about the HST.

* 55 per cent believe the HST will hurt the economy, versus 31 per cent who believe it will improve the economy.

* 86 per cent believe that, regardless of the referendum's outcome, this is a big issue that will have a major impact on B.C.'s future.

* 57 per cent of respondents, at the end of the survey, would like more information prior to deciding how to vote in the referendum.

Perception Questions* Respondents believed there are currently more reasons to oppose the HST than reasons to support it.

* There is misunderstanding of the impact of HST at the consumer level with some respondents believing the HST has increased the cost of goods and services that have seen no tax increase.

* There is confusion about the impact of the HST at the economic-sector  level. Many respondents believed that most sectors of the economy will be worse off under the HST-including those sectors actually benefiting substantively from it.

* British Columbians are very open to receiving factual information through a wide variety of media (web, print, in-person dialogue etc).

Focus Group Summary
* The HST referendum does not appear to be a settled issue. While more than half of the participants were initially opposed to the HST, a significant number reconsidered their opposition once they began to weigh the consequences of eliminating the HST.

* Most participants want more information. The information needs to begin by addressing core questions like what led to the government to reconsider the HST and what benefits the government sees in it. The material should then explain how HST works and include the negative impacts as well as what is being done to mitigate those impacts.

* Tell don't sell. Participants did not want to be sold on the HST, but they do want to be informed. It is critical that negative impacts be explicitly acknowledged and explained. People see prices have gone up on some things and feel that this has affected them personally.

* As the debate proceeds, people may be interested in finding a compromise. Participants are concerned that if the HST goes, we may end up with a new tax, a bigger debt or fewer services. Once the respondents began discussing the consequences of voting against the HST, many participants started to look for compromises. There was no immediate consensus on what the compromise should be.

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