Dear Editor:
I am writing to thank Ziggy Eckhardt for congratulating me on my victory in the May 2011 federal election as expressed in his letter (Fluffy efforts from Stewart, Letters to the Editor, Burnaby NOW, Sept. 2.)
Along with his best wishes, Mr. Eckhardt rightly states I did my best to help extinguish the HST - a badly constructed tax that unnecessarily punishes many British Columbians.
My efforts on this issue were prompted by the thousands of Burnaby residents who told me both during and after the election just how much the HST was hurting their families and businesses.
Mr. Eckhardt is also correct that I will do my utmost to ensure the Harper government does not further penalize British Columbians.
The Harper government initiated the HST and promised the Campbell Liberal government $1.6 billion to implement the new tax.
Since the Harper government grossly misjudged the willingness of British Columbians to take on this tax, I feel it is the Harper government that should be held responsible for its own mistakes and absorb these transition fees.
Kennedy Stewart, MP, Burnaby-Douglas
