Governments should stop playing politics with minimum-wage issue

Reader's Forum - To the editor;

To be clear about minimum wage and the perception that small business owners don't fully appreciate the impact on individuals. Most of those in business have lived off minimum wage at some time in their life, but personally decided it was not good enough, and, with initiative, an education and belief in their abilities moved on.

This issue, however, is not about whether individuals are entitled to an appropriate minimum wage. Of course they are. The issue is that small businesses in Nova Scotia pay four times the taxes of the residential community and get practically nothing for the effort. People open up their own business to make some money, to provide a service that is needed, to employ hard-working individuals, and to gain the satisfaction of being able to personally participate in the growth of the economy.

Governments should stop playing politics with this issue and get serious about finding ways to help small businesses save on taxes so they can increase the wages they pay to all employees, not only those on minimum wage. When minimum wage goes up, so will everyone else's along with the benefits.

Minimum wages are a small portion of the associated costs of running a business, it's the complete package that has the business community worried, especially if there is no program of tax reform built into this proposal to assist the business community in providing a fair wage.

The business community provides the tax base that keeps government running.

Without due consideration from the legislators, that tax base will erode and the issue will not be minimum wage, it will be a reduction in jobs in the very sectors that the majority of these minimum wage jobs are in.

The business community waits in anticipation for the upcoming tax reform proposals from HRM to be presented to regional council this spring.

What we also need at the same time is a more co-operative effort from the provincial and federal governments to ensure that any tax proposals are fully transparent and matched to levels of service. The business community wants a fair balance. Economic growth in the business community means economic growth in Nova Scotia, including better wages.

Tim Olive, executive director

Downtown Dartmouth Business

Commission