The new EHT will apply to businesses with annual payrolls of more than $500,000.
bc government
From 2014 to 2016, non-residential business investment in B.C. declined 19 per cent after accounting for inflation.
Tuesdays BC budget, which Finance Minister Michael de Jong called boring, balanced, should have set out an ambitious agenda for the next four years.
While Premier Christy Clark aims to create an environment where growth and investment can flourish, little has been achieved since last years electoral victory. If Premier Clark is to help British Columbians obtain the desired prosperity and jobs, her top economic priority should be to make BC the most investment-friendly jurisdiction in Canada.
Heres whats needed.
When Christy Clark recently asserted British Columbia didnt need the federal government and also said we don't need Alberta, the B.C. premier demonstrated why Canadas founding fathers were concerned about provincial politicians: when they think in isolation, such premiers harm the interests of all Canadians.
The context of Clarks election-time remark was how BC could become an energy superpower if more natural gas was developed and delivered through pipelines, as opposed to allowing oil pipelines to crisscross British Columbia more than they already do.
The BC Liberals and particularly Premier Christy Clark deserve the praise theyre receiving for their surprise electoral victory. After all, the Liberals reversed a double-digit deficit in the polls and ended up securing a majority government. This moment of jubilation for the Liberals and their supporters will be short-lived however, as the reality of governing in difficult times takes hold. The litmus test for the success of this government, which they themselves established, is the success of the economy and in particular, jobs.
What a difference a year and a half makes. In May 2009, Gordon Campbell had just won an historic third term as premier of British Columbia. Now a recent opinion poll not only puts him as Canada's most unpopular premier, but also the least popular premier in B.C.'s history.
Has he really done that bad a job?
With BC facing a recession, the provincial government had good reason to re-focus on the economy in its 2009 budget. Unfortunately, the government did not make the tough decisions required to make British Columbia more competitive and attractive for investment and business development.
For starters, little was done to improve incentives to work, invest and take entrepreneurial risks. Reduced personal income and business taxes would have improved these incentives and provided a stronger foundation for wealth creation now and in the future.