Frustrated by Premier Dalton McGuinty's refusal to hold public hearings on the controversial 13 per cent HST, the 25-member Progressive Conservative caucus stormed out of the Legislature's daily question period today shortly after it began.

"You have lost touch," Conservative Leader Tim Hudak told McGuinty before the stunt took place, accusing the Liberals of being afraid of a public backlash over the tax.

"If Premier McGuinty is going to show that level of contempt for taxpayers by forcing through the largest sales tax grab in the history of this province without any kind of public hearings . . . we see no point in proceeding with question period today."

The tax takes effect next July 1 and will combine the 8 per cent provincial sales tax with the 5 per cent federal GST into a 13 per cent harmonized sales tax. The move means an extra 8 per cent tax on thousands of items such as gasoline and veterinarian's bills, to name just two examples.

While McGuinty said the tax will streamline costs for business and be offset for most people by income tax cuts, Hudak maintained the day-to-day costs will mount up for ordinary citizens.

"They cannot handle another massive sales tax increase."

He would not call on the federal Conservative government, which is giving Ontario $4.3 billion to implement the HST, to hold public hearings and would not say what his own party would do with the tax if elected in the 2011 province-wide vote.

The Tories' protest left nine bewildered New Democrat MPPs as the only opposition in the House.

It was left to New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath to hammer McGuinty on the harmonized sales tax for most of the 48 minutes that remained in question period when the Tories stormed out.

The New Democrats, who also oppose the HST and want public hearings on the issue, said Monday that the provincial Conservatives should convince their federal cousins in Ottawa not to pass legislation that would allow Ontario to harmonize its sales tax.

"If the Tories really want to do something productive they can go talk to Stephen Harper and tell him not to pass the enabling legislation in the federal House," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said, referring to the Conservative prime minister.

"New Democrats believe it's extremely important to bring the voices of the people into this legislature and let the government know what the people are telling us about their concerns with the HST."

Outside the house, Hudak acknowledged his party's opposition to the HST stands in stark contrast to the federal Conservatives, but said his job is to focus on the Ontario government's actions, not Ottawa's.

"My federal colleagues will make their own decisions," he said. ``Our battle is to stop this massive sales tax grab here."

People across the province view the HST as a "greedy tax grab," and are encouraging his party to use every tactic it can to force public hearings, said Hudak.

"Outraged taxpayers are encouraging us to use any tools that we have at our disposal to make sure that we have public hearings on this bill," he said.

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The government is expected to extend the fall session closer to Christmas to pass the HST legislation in time to deliver personal and corporate tax cuts meant to soften the impact of harmonization. Those cuts would kick in on Jan. 1, six months ahead of the HST.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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