Yes, the wording is specifically chosen to make the amount sound smaller. This article argues in favour of the tax, so it makes sense that the author would choo

Yes, the wording is specifically chosen to make the amount sound smaller. This article argues in favour of the tax, so it makes sense that the author would choose such wording. The total sales tax (provincial + federal) would go from 12% to 12.5%, so you could call it a 4% increase rather than 10%... there's lots of ways to spin numbers :)