To the editor:
Recently, almost 1,000 small business owners in British Columbia have given Premier Christy Clark some advice in a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
Here are some of their priorities:
• Balance the budget - business owners will judge the new premier on her ability to get B.C.'s books back in the black. This can be done with moderate spending restraint.
• Keep public-sector wages reasonable - small business owners are clear that public-sector compensation should not be more generous than for equivalent jobs in the private sector. They support freezing public-sector total compensation until it is within five per cent of equivalent jobs in the private sector.
• Abandon the idea to introduce Family Day - a comment from the survey sums up business owner sentiment: "Giving people a free day's pay for no work might sound good, but is extremely costly to a business, that must find other ways to offset the cost."
• Lower the provincial portion of the HST - business owners, like the rest of British Columbians, have mixed views on the HST. Support for it rises to majority territory among business owners when there is a promise to cut the rate.
Finance Minster Kevin Falcon took the right position on this in his leadership campaign. Lower it by one point immediately and another as soon as the economic recovery allows. Without that commitment, it's doubtful the tax will survive the referendum.
• Keep your promise to appoint a municipal auditor general - the idea of appointing a municipal auditor general to conduct independent value-for-money audits of B.C. municipalities is wildly popular with small businesses.
• Pass legislation to control red tape - B.C. has been a world leader in controlling red tape over the past decade, thanks to reforms brought in by Mr. Falcon in 2001. Legislation requiring ministries to regularly publish data, such as regulatory counts, would ensure accountability in cutting red tape.
• Reconsider the new powers given to police when dealing with drivers with 0.05 to 0.08 levels of blood alcohol. Confusion over the new rules for drinking and driving and overzealous enforcement by police has hammered the bottom lines of some pubs and restaurants.
Victoria should resolve this. Businesses in the hospitality sector suffer from a slow economy, HST, rising food costs and, now, a higher minimum wage.
Laura Jones
CFIB vice-president