B.C. switches from the HST...back to the PST in a little under two weeks, but some merchants may not be ready. The Canadian Federation of Business (CFB) says there's still a significant number of small businesses that haven't registered. Vernon MLA Eric Foster says it's not a good idea to wait until the last minute. "It's done online and we've got lots of people manning the lines answering the questions. I'm hoping that people have done that. We've certainly spent a lot of money and put a lot into resources into making it as seamless as possible, " Foster tells Kiss FM. The CFB say the change-over will cost smaller merchants about $3,000 for staff and equipment upgrades, but Foster says for Tolko and others in the logging industry, it will be much more. "It's hundreds of thousands of dollars for the industry, not just for one operator. The forest industry and all the logging contractors." Reports indicate that only about half of the 130,000 businesses that will collect the PST are not prepared for its return April 1st. BC voted 55 percent to get rid of the HST in a 2011 referendum, but Foster says it was much closer in the Vernon Monashee riding. "It was almost split right down the middle. They voted in favour of returning to the PST but it was 50.9 to 49.1, I think was the exact number, so it doesn't get much more down the middle than that." NDP small business critic Jagraup Brar feels the Liberals have bungled the transiton. "The introduction of the HST increased uncertainty for small businesses, with many business owners at first confused about the conversion to the HST and now confused about switching back. Moreover, many consumers decided against major purchases because of the HST – a delay compounded by the extended length of time taken to switch back from the HST."---------
http://www.cownow.ca/news-blog/59-bc-hst-referendum-results-by-riding
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