More than two-thirds of British Columbians say they’ve curbed their spending because of the HST, according to an Angus Reid poll released on Thursday.
Nearly 90 per cent of people in B.C. said they found dining out has become more expensive, and 67 per cent said their basic groceries had become pricier.
Sixty-three per cent said the added tax has made cellphone bills go up, and 29 per cent said children’s clothes are now more expensive.
The province of B.C. responded to the poll with a statement saying some of the goods and services British Columbians claim to be more expensive are actually HST-exempt.
“Seventy-six per cent of people thought basic groceries were more expensive. There’s no HST on basic groceries,” said the release.
It added that tax on cellphone bills and children’s clothing hasn’t changed, either.
In Ontario, where the HST was introduced on the same day, the poll found that slightly more than half of respondents have changed their spending habits.
