The voters of B.C. chose to extinguish the HST in a referendum. In this section you will find information on the Referendum Process. Included are:
- Advertising materials
- Independent Panel Report on HST
- Referendum Processes
- Voter’s Guide
HST Ballots
Elections BC administered the referendum and determined the ballot question, which was:Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)?
Yes or No
Voting Process
Every British Columbian eligible to vote in a provincial election was eligible to vote in the HST referendum.The vote itself was an independent process conducted by Elections BC which is the non-partisan, independent organization that looks after the provincial electoral process in our province.
The HST referendum was conducted by mail-in ballot, which was expected to save taxpayers $18 million. Voters’ packages were mailed out in June.
The votes were tallied by Elections BC and the results were announced on August 26, 2011.
Voters Guide
A Voters Guide was sent out to every mailing address in B.C. This guide contained important information from both proponents and opponents of the HST, as well as a government statement, a summary of the Independent Panel Report and important information from Elections BC.The Voters Guide is available online.
The Referendum Act
The vote on the HST was conducted under the authority of the Referendum Act which ensured a simple majority vote determined the outcome of the referendum.
Background on the process:
On February 4, 2010, the Chief Electoral Office approved in principle a petition submitted by William Vander Zalm to rescind the HST and restore the PST.
Application for HST Initiative Petition Approved - News Release
Summary of Legislative Proposal
On April 6, 2010, Elections B.C. gave the proponent approval to being collecting signatures. The petition was subsequently submitted to the Acting Chief Electoral Officer on June 30, 2010, to determine if more than 10 per cent of registered voters in each electoral district entitled to sign the position had done so. Of the 713,883 signatures gathered, Elections B.C. determined that 557,383 were valid and the threshold had been achieved.
On August 23, 2010, after the courts upheld the decision to grant approval in principle to the initiative petition application, the Acting Chief Electoral Officer sent the petition and draft legislation to the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives.
On September 13, 2010, the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives referred the initiative to end the harmonized sales tax (HST) and draft Bill (HST Extinguishment Act) to the Acting Chief Electoral Officer to conduct an initiative vote under sections 13 and 14 of the Recall and Initiative Act.
On November 10, 2010, Acting Chief Electoral Officer Craig James delivered the proposed initiative vote question to then Attorney General Michael de Jong.
Key Dates
>> See the calendar of key dates during the Referendum process.