What does HST mean for Kamloops?

So far I've heard the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is a bad thing. What this basically means is instead of paying separate taxes (GST - 5 per cent and PST - 7 per cent) the taxes will be "harmonized" and combined to make HST - 12 per cent. This means that all the goods and services that were usually exempt from paying the GST such as books, food, haircuts will now be subject to a 5 per cent increase on final total, The Say No To HST in BC website explains.

And yet the HST website from the BC provincial government explains that it will boost the economy, save employers money and create new jobs. But it does not really explain how.