The Retail Council of Canada is concerned about the looming 2% increase in the HST for New Brunswick.
Atlantic Director Jim Cormier says businesses in New Brunswick are feeling the effects of a double whammy.
“Whenever you’re adding increased taxes to business it almost never has a good effect,” says Cormier. “And of course with New Brunswick they’ve increased corporate taxes over the last few years, as well as an HST increase, and that’s never good for business.
He says over the last few years, he’s been concerned over the changes from a business friendly province, to one with higher taxes.
“Over the last few years, we’re seeing more and more taxes creep in, so it does make it concerning to people trying to run a business in the province of New Brunswick,” says Cormier.
He says increasing the HST is erasing the New Brunswick tax advantage, that encouraged some consumers to shop here, instead of in their neighbouring home province.
“We’ll have to wait and see, right now it’s only anecdotal evidence,” says Cormier. “But suffice it to say increasing prices that come from increased taxes in this case, it never helps, it doesn’t encourage people to shop more, put it that way.”
