HST winners and losers

Sales tax harmonization benefits BC’s construction Industry.

By Carl Beck, CMA, Sales Tax Advisor.

On a quiet summer day, July 23, 2009, the BC Government made a very large announcement that has since generated a lot of noise – BC intends to harmonize its Social Service Tax (PST) with the GST to form a single Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

Value-added taxes similar to BC’s proposed HST are used in Quebec and the Maritimes (excluding PEI) and very broadly throughout the industrialized world. In March 2009, Ontario announced its intentions to implement HST. BC will now follow Ontario’s lead and combine its 7% PST with the 5% GST for a single 12% HST in BC (Ontario’s HST will be 13%), both starting on July 1, 2010. [Read more]

Building code changes

Proposed changes support sustainability and safety.

Proposed updates to the B.C. Building Code are now available online for public input.

Three changes are proposed to provincial building regulations. Representatives from industry and local governments worked with the Province to develop these proposals. They represent the next steps in developing unified green provisions for the construction of new buildings in B.C. [Read more]

Major construction in BC shows confidence

Press release –

VICTORIA – The number and value of major construction projects planned or underway across British Columbia increased during the first quarter of 2009, Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, announced today.

“British Columbia continues to demonstrate stability, with 892 large scale construction projects, valued at an estimated $184.2 billion, planned or underway throughout the province,” Black said. “Consistent investor confidence, alongside our triple-A credit rating, highlights B.C.’s strength as an attractive location for investment.” [Read more]