Reality check: Harper did raise taxes on consumers

This morning Stephen Harper said he “we will not raise taxes on consumers” (CPAC, Apr. 20, 2011), but he initiated and voted for the harmonized sales tax in BC and Ontario, putting a new tax on everyday essentials, from gasoline in Ontario to eating out in BC, adding roughly $300 to household budgets every year (“Impact of HST on Ontario and British Columbia Households” David Murrell, Canadian Centre for Policy Studies, August 2010)

With so many Canadians struggling with the growing cost of living, why did Stephen Harper make life more expensive for 17 million Canadians?