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FEBRUARY 2019 BCBUSINESS 29
It's Saturday morning, but this feels like fright night.
In the packed basement auditorium of the Sheraton Vancouver Wall
Centre hotel, the BC Liberal Party is holding the Economy Alert rally of
its annual convention. Lightning bolts flash across a screen as it relays
a string of gloomy headlines: Struggling Forest Sector, New Employer
Health Tax, 19 New or Increasing Taxes in B.C., Housing Construction
on Hold or Cancelled, 40,000 Private Sector Jobs Lost.
Kicking off the November weekend session, Shuswap
MLA Greg
Kyllo slams the
NDP government's move to raise taxes for businesses
and high-income earners. He singles out the new Employer Health Tax
(EHT),
which took effect on January 1. "It's putting an extra $1.9 billion
right on the backs of B.C. business owners and employers," Kyllo says,
dubbing
NDP tax policy an "an assault on business" that makes the
province less competitive.
Our province is an
economic powerhouse
and a great place to do
business. We could live
up to that reputation by
making a few changes—
attracting more head
offices, for one
IS B.C.
LOSING ITS
edge
b y N I C K R O C K E L
