VICTORIA – Jim Dinning admits that it’s ironic for a former Alberta finance minister to be asked to weigh the merits of B.C.’s two choices for sales taxes.

But now out of politics and serving as chancellor of the University of Calgary, Dinning is chairing an independent review panel to compare the harmonized sales tax with B.C.’s former provincial sales tax before a referendum on the HST later this year.

Also named to the panel are former B.C. auditor-general George Morfitt, Simon Fraser University professor John Richards and Tracie Redies, CEO of Coast Capital Savings.

Their report is due April 1, and will make no recommendation on either the HST or the PST, Dinning told Black Press.

“Polling showed that people don’t feel they have all the facts they need, and they’re looking for an independent source rather than just the government information source,” he said.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is making a recommendation to voters: keep the HST and demand a lower rate to reflect the broader base of the new sales tax.