STV

Economists will tell you that the harmonized tax is sound policy, by replacing the regressive PST with a single, more efficient value-added tax. The consensus on this by informed, unbiased observers; the opposition that does exsist tends to come from the ignorant or the self-interested.

Elsewhere you will find a lengthy piece by me explaining why I support the electoral reform (STV) option in Tuesday’s BC’s referendum. But for those pressed for time, here’s the gist:

This is pretty cool. It simulates the voting process under BC’s proposed STV, using the actual proposed ridings and the current lineup of candidates — in other words, as if the current provincial election were being held under STV rules.

Did you know that STV is the system the Harper government envisages for electing members of a reformed Senate?

The biggest single knock against STV, the one that the critics have had the most fun with, is the elaborate system for counting the ballots — the basis for complaints that the system is too complicated for voters to understand.

Politics is broken in Canada, writes Andrew Coyne. But B.C. could help fix it today.