P.E.I. retail sales not affected by HST increase

P.E.I. shoppers seem to have shrugged off an increase to the harmonized sales tax based on the retail sales for September and October.

Statistics Canada released the October numbers Thursday.

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Retail sales for October were $185 million which is down 1.1 per cent following the Oct. 1 HST increase. September 2016 saw $187 million in sales.

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Jim Cormier, Atlantic Canada director for the Retail Council of Canada, who expressed concerns about the increase says things like this are hard to predict.

"The fact is, increases in taxes are never good for consumer spending and confidence in consumer spending," said Cormier.

But he added, Atlantic Canadians, despite the economic challenges, have always participated in holiday shopping and like to get out and do it early.

"Anytime the numbers show an increase in retail sales, that's good news, not just for the retail sector but signs of the overall good health of the economy."

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