Denise Wong – Kelowna November 13, 2009

BC’s Tourism Minister says small businesses were asking them to implement the HST.

Kevin Krueger spoke to the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association in Kelowna on Friday. He told the group when he was the Minister for Small Businesses, he spoke with many BC small businesses:

“They would tell me, ‘There’s one big thing your government could still do for small business, and that is to harmonize sales tax’. For many small businesses, it has been a real hassle keeping provincial taxation books and federal taxation books.”

Krueger says he understands tour operators are worried the HST will hurt their industry. He says, “We’re working on that. I talk with my colleague, the Minister of Finance – the Honourable Colin Hansen – frequently about it. He and his ministry is working hard to find ways to deal with the implementation so it isn’t such a setback as people fear.”

The Minister tells us he’s hoping the 2010 Winter Olympics will remedy that:

“…that in the end, HST will hardly be reflected in your revenues because they will be much better than before the Olympics, and before the implementation of the HST.”

Meanwhile, NDP Deputy Finance Critic Doug Donaldson says the HST only spells disaster for BC tourism:

“We heard from tourism operators around the province that the HST is going to be a really negative thing for them and their business. It’s going to hurt them, and it’s going to hurt them at the wrong time – as we’re coming out of a recession.”

Donaldson says tourism operators outside the Lower Mainland don’t buy Minister Krueger’s claim the Olympics will make up for the hit they’ll take from the HST.

[AM1150]