If you’re wondering what will happen now, you’re not alone. For many BC residents and entrepreneurs, questions abound. When will PST be re-implemented? Will we continue to pay 12% HST in the meantime? Will the PST work the same as it did before HST?

The HSTinBC.ca web site answers questions and many more, in addition to providing information about on how the taxes – old and new
– apply to consumers and business owners.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

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  an employee who contributes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), whether you are just starting your career or you are planning to retire soon;

• a self-employed person who contributes to the CPP;
• between the ages of 60 and 70 and you work while receiving your CPP retirement pension (or if you work outside of Quebec while receiving a Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) retirement pension); or
• an employer who contributes to the CPP on behalf of your employees.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

By next May, the minimum wage will rise to $10.25 an hour.

“When workers have more money in their pockets, they are in a better position to support themselves and their families – and that’s good for the economy,” said Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government, in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE from NEWS 1130 >>

Together, the Canadian and British Columbia governments have sponsored the Aspect Targeted Skills Shortage program. The initiative bestows up to $7,500 per employer to provide workplace-specific training to eligible employees, to a maximum of $1,500 per employee.

The program is a great chance for employers to support educational opportunities for staff members who have a high-school-or-lower level of education. To be eligible, participating companies must employ less than 100 people and do business within several different industrial sectors.

More information on the program and eligibility criteria can be found on the Aspect web site.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM >>

Interested in learning more about the results of the referendum and what reverting back to the GST/PST model could mean for your business?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

If you’d like to apply to receive a grant of up to $5,000 for courses for your employees, here’s the basic facts about the program that you need to know:

• Funding of up to $1,500 per employee to maximum of $5,000
• Small companies from 2-50 employees are eligible
• Must be in business for at least 1 year
• Must be in good standing with the BC Corporate Registry
• Training may be provided in-house or off-site
• Applications processed on a first-come, first-served basis

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

Visit the Government of Canada web site for more information on EI benefits for the self-employed.

This article is an excerpt from the NALH e-Newsletter. Click here to read the current issue.

Missed an issue? You can also read all previous issues in our newsletter archive.  Want to join our subscribers list? Visit our site to subscribe to our newsletter.

Employee training is an area that reaps benefits for both employee and employer, yet is often neglected due to lack of budget.

To assist companies in providing their employees with ample training, the BC Government has launched the Workplace Training for Innovation Program. The initiative provides an approved employer with up to $1,500 per employee to a company maximum of $5,000 for training the employee would otherwise not get.

Visit the BC Government web site to learn more about the employee training grant program.

This article is an excerpt from the NALH e-Newsletter. Click here to read the current issue.

Missed an issue? You can also read all previous issues in our newsletter archive.  Want to join our subscribers list? Visit our site to subscribe to our newsletter.

Read the full article on the SOHO web site to learn more about highlights of the business-related measures and initiatives contained in the 2010 Budget.

The provincial government budget tabled Tuesday will increase the Ministry of Health Services’ budget by more than $2 billion between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Health spending will be funded by the HST, medical services plan premiums, tobacco taxes, lottery revenue and federal transfers.

Besides dedicating HST to health-care funding, the government unveiled two initiatives targeted at helping working-class families: full-day kindergarten and a new property tax deferral program for homeowners with children under the age of 18.

Annual funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds, which will be introduced in September, will rise to $129 million by 2012. Post-secondary funding remains at $1.88 billion in 2010-11.

Read the full article at the Business in Vancouver web site.

The legislation, recently announced by the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, The Honourable Diane Finley, forms part of the pledge for helping self-employed taxpayers with some much needed income protection for life events such as the birth of children, sickness and compassionate leave.

With over 2.6 million Canadians in the ranks of the self-employed and many more turning to starting their own businesses as they are facing lay-offs, the opportunity to receive employment insurance benefits for this sector of the work force couldn’t be better timed.

In the January 27, 2009 Federal Budget, the Government brought forth a proposal to review alternative methods of providing those self-employed Canadians with access to benefits that, in the past, have only been available to those who were working for an employer.

Click here to read the full article on the Knowledge Bureau web site.

The number of people in B.C. receiving benefits rose 12.8% to 99,360 in September, up from 88,080 in August. StatsCan reported that 15 of B.C.’s 25 large urban centres reported twice as many beneficiaries in September compared with September 2008.

In Vancouver, the number of beneficiaries rose 148.9% to 31,340. In Victoria, the number of beneficiaries rose to 3,650 from 1,560 while in Abbotsford, EI roles rose to 2,710 from 1,160.

Year-over-year, the number of EI recipients in the province has more than doubled. The number of men receiving benefits in B.C. has risen 151% in the past year to 44,700 from 17,790, whereas the number of women recipients has risen 85% to 26,520 from 14,280.

Click here to read the full article on the Business in Vancouver web site.