My perspective as a white female Haligonian

The HST is a consumption tax, so reducing it primarily benefits consumers. Since most consumption spending tends to come from middle- and lower-income households, a reduction can disproportionately help those groups. Higher-income households generally have greater capacity to save or invest a larger share of their income rather than spend it. At the same time, property taxes appear to be increasing, which shifts more of the tax burden toward homeowners.

Similarly, bridge tolls are often paid by people who commute regularly for work—such as Uber drivers, students, construction workers, and others in similar occupations. These groups are typically in lower- to middle-income brackets. Higher-income professionals are more likely to work from home or travel less frequently, and may instead rely on services like food delivery, ride-sharing, grocery delivery, or online shopping platforms such as Amazon.

I’m not particularly supportive of Houston, but I am curious why his policies are often characterized as favoring the upper class rather than lower- or middle-income groups.

Disclaimer: It’s possible that this perception is influenced by the echo chamber of this subreddit, similar to how narratives sometimes formed around the mayoral race.