Light industry sector businesses hit hard with higher taxes this year have had their voices heard at the provincial level.
Recently, Burnaby-Deer Lake MLA Kathy Corrigan brought up the issue in her response to the budget speech last week in the legislature.
As the Burnaby NOW previously reported, the province is rolling back its school tax credits for the light industry sector over the next two years and subsequently those businesses in the city are feeling the squeeze - some are already reportedly paying tens of thousands of dollars more than last year.
"I think the tax is going to largely hurt small business, it's largely small businesses in the light industry class," Corrigan told the NOW from her office in Victoria.
Corrigan said the province is approaching this issue in "HST style."
"The other thing is I think the timing is really interesting in that this was put into place in February without, certainly to no fanfare," she said.
"Small businesses were not aware of it. They were shocked to find out that this was happening."
Corrigan said she also brought up the issue earlier this week and intends to talk to the affected businesses in her community to bring the issue more into the forefront.
"I think it's really unfortunate and will really hurt small businesses in our community and throughout the province," she said.
"Small businesses generally operate on a pretty tight margin when you have an increase over the two years. ... It's a really significant tax grab, and I think it's partly because the B.C. government made unrealistic promises of a balanced budget."
The province's minister of finance, Michael de Jong, reviewed the tax policy in budget 2013 and first announced in February that the light industry school tax credit would be phased out over two years beginning this year.
The phase-out is expected to provide additional revenues of $32 million in 2013/14 and about $55 million every year after.
Burnaby has about 400 light industry businesses operating in the city.
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