@helmutw,
Hi, welcome to A2K!
I'm a BC resident, and I think it stinks.
Just yesterday, I paid a large vet bill, and with the extra 7% (to cover the PST), as part of the new HST, the bill
would have been an additional $30, bringing the total up to nearly $52!
Presently, vet care is only taxed with GST and is PST exempt.
So, I'm not very happy about it at all. This is just one small example how many folks will have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay more for what they already get for less.
If this tax absolutely must be implemented, I would have liked to see our PST lowered from 7% to 5%, to make the total of the new HST 10%. It still sucks, but would be slightly more palatable.
If you remember, the federal GST was 7 or 7.5% (?) at one time, and at least they were smart enough to lower it to 5% some time back.
The one good thing (I guess) is that I've heard Campbell say that there would be rebates on the HST on electricity costs. I would like the same for natural gas, myself.