Provincial Commission on Tax Competitiveness echoes BC Chamber recommendations    

BC Chamber survey parses out top election issues for business

The BC Chamber’s province-wide "Collective Perspective" survey identified the hot button issues affecting B.C.’s businesses, distilling the data into four primary categories where businesses needed more help from the government (refer to summary graph on pg. 25 of report).

B.C. already boasts competitive taxes, however it is clear that our network is looking for continued improvement. The BC Chamber advocates for a made-in-B.C. value added tax (VAT) at the provincial level (see the BC Policy and Positions manual starting at page 113), as well as a more competitive property tax rate at the local level (see the BC Policy and Positions manual starting at page 44).

Insight # 2: Regulations on business

The best way to make business easy is by cutting red tape. The BC Chamber network remains focused on tackling this issue by finding ways to streamline regulations (see the BC Policy and Positions manual starting at page 244).

Insight # 3: Access to labour

B.C.’s businesses must have access to the skill and talent they need to grow their businesses. Our network has expressed the need for both the provincial and federal government to continue allocating resources into timely access to labour (see the BC Policy and Positions manual starting at page 170).

Insight # 4: Cost of labour

The cost of labour is usually a company’s largest expense, particularly for small businesses. While the provincial government works diligently to balance cost pressures with tax relief for business, issues like minimum wage increases continue to create challenges. For BC Chamber members, the answer is centred on certainty and predictability (see the BC Policy and Positions manual on page 174).

BC Chamber applauds federal government approval of Trans Mountain Expansion Project

The BC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to see the federal government give its stamp of approval on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.

“This project is a big economic win for B.C. and for Canada,” said Val Litwin, BC Chamber president and CEO. “It’s not just the resource development sector that has cause to celebrate, many small and medium-sized businesses will see tremendous growth in the demand for goods, services and local workers throughout the lifetime of this project.”

The expansion represents a $6.8 billion investment that will create 800,000 person years of employment and provide billions of dollars in new revenue for all levels of government. Employment and training programs will also increase opportunities specifically for members of the Aboriginal community.

Other benefits include:

• $73.5 billion in increased revenues for producers over 20 years
• $46.7 billion in additional taxes and royalties to federal and provincial governments from construction and 20 years of operation, higher producer revenues and additional tanker traffic.
• An increase to $52 million annually (from the current $26 million) in property taxes to municipalities and regional districts.

Read the BC Chamber's full press release here.

Download the project benefits overview here.

For more information, visit the Trans Mountain website.

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