The Government of British Columbia has reviewed the MSP Task Force’s final report on improving tax fairness in B.C.

“I’d like to thank the MSP Task Force members for their time and expertise. The task force has provided a comprehensive report with a number of policy recommendations,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “We appreciate their analysis as we continue our work to make life better for people in B.C.”

Budget 2018 eliminated Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums, effective Jan. 1, 2020, providing significant savings to individuals, families and businesses. The MSP Task Force’s final report builds on this action, by making recommendations to improve progressivity, business competitiveness and fairness in B.C.’s tax system.

The Province has acted, in part, on some of the recommendations in the report. For example, the government has appointed a Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, Mitzi Dean. Her role is to make sure gender equity is reflected in budgets, policies and programs.

In addition, the government has taken action to improve tax compliance. The Budget 2017 Update made changes to allow the Canada Revenue Agency to access homeowner grant and assessment data. Legislative amendments introduced this spring will require real estate developers to collect and report information on pre-sale condo assignments.

All of these changes will give tax authorities and law enforcement agencies access to new information to crack down on tax evasion and tax fraud.

Quick Facts:

• The MSP Task Force was established in November 2017.
• The task force held a public consultation from Nov. 2, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018.
• The task force received almost 1,500 submissions from individuals, as well as submissions from stakeholders.

Learn More:

Read the MSP Task Force’s Final Report: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/msptaskforce/