According to an independent panel’s report, the HST will cost the average B.C. family approximately three-hundred and fifty dollars in extra sales tax per year.

The panel predicted that the HST will benefit businesses and should eventually lead to increased employment.

The Government has been criticized for referring to the HST as revenue neutral because they are expected to collect over eight-hundred million extra dollars of sales-tax revenue in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 if the HST remains at twelve percent.