Taxes and Regulations
The cost and complexity of doing business is increasing, making it harder for businesses of all sizes to succeed. The Langley Chamber works to advance tax and regulatory policy that works for everyone.
The Langley Chamber opposed the implementation of 5 days of paid sick leave starting on January 1, 2022, calling the middle of the Omicron-wave of COVID-19 the wrong time to impose a new cost on businesses. Now, this is a permanent cost on business and the Langley Chamber is pushing constantly to avoid increasing this obligation to 10 days.
Since Paid Sick Leave was implemented, to help minimize the negative impact of this government policy on business the Langley Chamber is advocating three key areas in need of improvement with paid sick leave:
- Creating a Mechanism for Partial Sick Days
- Linking Sick Pay to the Amount of Missed Work
- Creating a Greater Days-Worked Requirement
In November 2022, we met with the Deputy Minister of Labour to argue against increasing the required days beyond 5, and to make changes to achieve the above 3 changes. More >
In May and June 2022, we have raised this issue with our local MLAs, and engaged directly with the Deputy Minister of Labour to advance the call for these needed reforms. Read our letter to the DM.
The Employer Health Tax is a new cost on employers that pulls $2 billion out of the economy and costs businesses money every time they hire or increase wages. The Langley Chamber has worked for years to first oppose the tax, and now to improve it to make it less onerous on businesses.
Currently, payroll over $500,000 is taxable. The Langley Chamber wants this exemption threshold increased to remove more small businesses from the tax and save Langley businesses thousands in payments every year!
- Ahead of the 2023 provincial budget, the Langley Chamber has written to the new Finance Minister and met with local MLAs to argue to increase the small business exemption for the Employer Health Tax and linking it to inflation. Read our letter to the Minister >
- The Langley Chamber met with MLA Megan Dykeman, member of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to review our call for the Employer Health Tax exemptions to be increased. The Langley Chamber succeeded in having the Committee include a review of the tax in its pre-budget recommendations. More >
- As the central component of our pre-budget submission to the provincial government's finance committee, the Langley Chamber is calling for an increase in the Employer Health Tax threshold, allowing businesses to exempt more of their payroll from the tax. An increase in the threshold to $1,000,000 would bring BC in line with Ontario and would save businesses thousands in tax each year. Read our budget submission.
- In 2019, we worked with other chambers of commerce and boards of trade to advance a policy to try and stop the implementation: Minimizing Undue Negative Impacts of the Employer Health Tax