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A poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, commissioned by the Business Council of BC, finds 83 per cent of the province’s residents are concerned services can be maintained without increasing taxes.

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Poll: worries services won't be maintained without tax hike

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 3:32 PST, Tue December 1, 2020

Last Updated: 4:24 PST, Tue December 1, 2020

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The economic impact of COVID-19, and the necessary restrictions placed on businesses to help stop the spread of the virus, have resulted in a private sector recession most deeply affecting people and businesses in consumer facing sectors.

In a poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs commissioned by the Business Council of British Columbia immediately following the provincial election, residents expressed concerns related to economic recovery and equally clear ideas on how we can move forward. Overall, 83 per cent of respondents said they are very or somewhat worried about the government’s ability to maintain services without increasing taxes along with:
• the provincial government needs to have a plan to return to a balanced budget once the COVID pandemic is over (85 per cent agree)
• the provincial government needs to do more to support businesses efforts to invest and create jobs in British Columbia (81 per cent agree)
• respondents are worried that the provincial government will need to raise taxes or debt in order to pay for all of its election promises (79 per cent agree)
• the provincial government can't deliver effective programs and services unless BC businesses are thriving (68 per cent agree)

British Columbians polled also supported the following ideas to stimulate economic recovery:
• put maximum time limits in place to speed up municipal government approval times for residential housing developments (69 per cent support)
• streamline governments regulatory review and enforcement process by moving from a paper-based process to a fully digital process (66 per cent support)
• quicken project review/permitting times in order to accelerate infrastructure projects (66 per cent support)
• freeze any new administrative, regulatory or policy changes that increase costs for businesses to support the economic recovery process (65 per cent support)
• over the next few years, replace the PST with a made-in-BC value added tax at a rate lower than seven per cent (54 per cent support)

“While keeping people safe remains the priority for government, employers and individuals, it is clear we need to begin preparations today for economic recovery tomorrow,” said Greg D’Avignon, president and CEO of the Business Council of British Columbia. “With the new government in place and prospects of vaccines being available in 2021, now is the time to be thinking about how to get BC businesses back on their feet, how to recoup the 100,000 full times jobs lost in the last year, and how to reinvigorate the private sector which will drive the necessary government revenues to provide essential supports and address mounting public debt.”

Stronger Tomorrow, Starting Today, the Business Council of BC’s Economic Plan for Families and Businesses, sets out a pathway to execute on these top priorities. The council looks to work collaboratively with government to put these recommendations supported by the public into action.

The plan calls on business, government, indigenous peoples, academia and the people of BC to work collaboratively, for a better tomorrow. It is a commitment, based on this plan, by BC’s leaders to invest, partner, and embrace bold actions that will get British Columbians rehired and employed in new jobs in every part of the province.

The online survey of 801 adults, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs from Nov. 2 to 6, is accurate to within +/- 4.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.