Last month, in a letter published in the Times Colonist, federal Conservative Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca candidate Troy DeSouza described the Campbell administration's decision to introduce a harmonized sales tax as "yet another tax grab is being made at the worst possible time for small businesses and average citizens." This, despite the fact the Tory-run federal government is giving the province $1.6 billion in transition funding to make that change. Asked whether statement amounted to a criticism of his own party, Mr. DeSouza told Public Eye Radio, "No. I think everyone has to make their own opinion. You have to stand up for what you believe."
"What I believe is that HST wasn't on the agenda before the last provincial election. It wasn't," he continued. "The harmonization has always been part of the federal government's agenda since Liberal finance minister Paul Martin. This has been there since the nineties...But, ultimately Sean, this was a provincial decision. We wouldn't be here unless the premier said, 'Yup, we need to do this.'"
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