Minimum Wage Hike a Double Hit to Business

{ on May5 2016 | in: Business | Feature }
May5

Chamber of Commerce across BC are voicing concern about the impact that today’s announcement of two larger-than-expected minimum wage increases will have on B.C. businesses.

According to Abbotsford Chamber President Josh Bach, “These two increases are larger than expected and will impact BC business by adding to their labour costs”. Bach adds that, “We appreciate the government’s recognition of this impact, and its efforts to mitigate this through a suite of measures to support small business, notably a decrease in the small business tax to 1.5% from 2.5% in 2017.”

Maureen Kirkbride, BC Chamber Interim CEO said, “There’s no denying that these two minimum wage increases will be tough for some of our 36,000 represented businesses across the province. The BC Chamber recognizes that the B.C. government has been clear about its intention to raise B.C.’s minimum wage relative to other Canadian jurisdictions, to match B.C.’s strong recent economic performance. However, going forward, the Chamber urges government to return to tying minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).”

“For our businesses, the bottom line is the need for certainty and predictability,” said Kirkbride. “Quite simply, we need to take the politics out of minimum wage increases.”

In 2015, the BC Chamber’s membership passed a policy arguing for the need for predictability in minimum wage increases, and calling for no minimum wage increases beyond those tied to CPI.

The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven organization comprised of partnership with the business community, our mission is to represent, serve and connect our members to build and sustain a thriving business community in Abbotsford.

The BC Chamber is the largest and most broadly-based business organization in the province. Representing more than 125 Chambers of Commerce and 36,000 businesses of every size, sector and region of the province, the BC Chamber of Commerce is “The Voice of Business in BC.”

For further details, please contact:
Allan Asaph, Executive Director
Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
604-859-9651 (ext. 302)
allan@abbotsfordchamber.com



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