Discontent over the B.C. Liberals’ proposed harmonized sales tax (HST) would likely result in a shift in political power if an election were held today, according to a poll conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion.
In the poll, which was completed online between June 1 to June 6 by 1,612 British Columbian adults, 46% of B.C. respondents said they would support the NDP in the next provincial ballot.
The Liberals were second with 26%, followed by the Greens with 14% and the Conservatives with 8%.
In the May 2009 election, the provincial Liberals secured a third consecutive majority mandate, with 46% of the vote and 49 of the 85 seats at stake. The NDP received 42% of the vote and won 35 seats.
The B.C. government’s decision last year – made mere days after the election – to harmonize the sales tax spawned a grass-roots movement that wants to hold a referendum in order to repeal the tax, which is scheduled to come into effect July 1.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell rejected calls late last week to scrap the HST.
“We are a small open trading economy and we have to do everything that we can to make our businesses and enterprises more competitive.”
Angus Reid Public Opinion, which is a division of Vancouver-based online pollster Vision Critical, found in its poll that 76% of British Columbians would vote to eliminate the tax in a referendum.