Reaction has been very mixed. Restaurateurs have probably been unanimous in decrying its impact on cost, etc. There are some businesses that applaud it. What was once perhaps a dead cost, being the provincial sales tax component, now becomes a tax credit and perhaps lowers their cost of doing business, increasing profitability. There is a philosophical expression about passing the savings on to the consumers themselves.
It was a surprise when it was announced. It wasn't on the radar when we made our submission. The Surrey Board of Trade is cautiously supportive of the HST for the potential cost savings benefits in non-restaurant-oriented activities, speaking strictly on behalf of businesses. For consumers, perhaps it's going to be a different animal.
There have been, as I'm sure you've read, a number of requests for further consideration of certain aspects of the HST and its implementation, everything from software changes to the label required to convert the pricing, and so on. At this point, the reaction has been, for the most part, very high level, a very quick response. I suspect that goes for the business reaction when Ontario introduced the HST and when the Maritimes brought it in.