The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia released the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services report on Budget 2023 consultations. The budgetary consultation process was created in the early 2000s and provides insight into the themes that emerge from the over 1000 submissions that the Committee receives and finds compelling.

The BCHA issued a submission, with key themes noted on page noted on page 37 of the report and includes the following excerpts.

• British Columbia Hotel Association highlighted the role that crown corporations and government play in supporting accommodation across the province and recommended that in-person meetings and events be encouraged as the pandemic allows.
• Protect the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) for its original intended purpose to support tourism projects, programs, and marketing, and obligate all online accommodation providers to collect the MRDT.
• Collect data to gain insight into the number of hospitality establishments that have been lost in recent years, and work with the hospitality sector to ensure that BC is a destination with sufficient spaces for meetings, conferences, events, and leisure travel, attracting both domestic and international markets
• Review the implementation of the online marketplace services PST provisions to ensure that the amendments result in the intended outcome

Click here to read the full document.