Business group wants province to focus instead on raising amount individuals can earn before taxes
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is urging Newfoundland and Labrador not to increase the province’s minimum wage.
The minimum wage is currently $10 per hour, a rate that hasn’t changed since July 2010. An advisory committee in the province is reviewing the wage.
Leanne Hachey, Atlantic vice-president of CFIB, says raising the minimum wage wouldn’t be the best tactic to help the province’s low-income earners.
Instead, Hachey told the Canadian Press the government should focus on raising the amount an individual can earn before paying taxes. Business owners in the province can’t keep up with wage increases — the minimum wage has risen from $6.25 per hour in 2005 — and that if wages rise employers may have to cut hours, eliminate positions and reduce investments.
