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Ontario Finance Minister Dwight DuncanChristinne Muschi

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says there will be public hearings after all on tax harmonization.

Mr. Duncan says the public will be able to comment on the province's plan to merge the eight per cent provincial sales tax with the five per cent federal GST, likely next week.

He says it's something the Liberals have always done with budget-related legislation, and isn't a sop to the opposition parties who have been demanding public hearings on the controversial HST plan for weeks.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says the government is still limiting public comments to a handful of hours during a single day at the legislature.

Both Mr. Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath say the government should be holding open hearings across the province on the HST, not just in Toronto.

Like Ontario, British Columbia will also harmonize its PST with the GST on July 1, something Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have already done.



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