The following statement has been issued by B.C. Finance Minister Michael de Jong:

“I want to thank the members of the Commission on Tax Competitiveness for their hard work during these past months. I have received their report, and government will consider it carefully in the context of the upcoming provincial budget and the development of government's longer-term fiscal plan.

“Government established this commission to get advice on how to modernize British Columbia's business taxes to drive competitiveness and economic growth, and create jobs, without returning to the HST. This report is the product of discussions with stakeholder groups, individuals and businesses throughout the province.

“The commission has provided a number of recommendations on improving tax competitiveness, with a particular focus on addressing the negative impacts of the PST businesses pay on machinery and equipment, electricity, software and telecommunications services.

“Should the government ever consider more substantive changes to the current PST, we endorse the recommendation for broad public consultation and engagement.”

The Commission on Tax Competitiveness Final Report and associated materials are available at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/taxcommission/