The results are in from B.C.’s HST referendum, and British Columbians have voted to repeal the controversial tax. In all, 54.7 per cent of voters in supported rescinding the tax, while 45.3 per cent voted in favour of keeping it, according to Elections B.C. The provincial government has said that repealing the tax would leave a $3 billion hole in the budget. It will now have to repay Ottawa the $1.6 billion compensation payment it received to introduce the tax in the first place. The HST was first introduced in 2009 after the re-election of then-premier Gordon Campbell, and its implementation sparked a province-wide populist campaign led by another former premier, Bill Vander Zalm, to repeal it.
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