BIABC Media Releases
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2026
BIABC Calls on All Parties to Commit to Keeping PST
Expansion Off the Table
Small businesses need certainty that proposed tax on professional and security services
will not return after the election
VANCOUVER, BC - Business Improvement Areas of BC (BIABC) is calling on political parties campaigning in British Columbia’s provincial election to make a clear commitment that the proposed expansion of the Provincial Sales Tax to professional services will not be reintroduced following the election.
The province announced September 18 that it was ‘pausing’ the planned October 1 expansion of the PST, citing international trade disruptions and economic uncertainty. However, the change is being implemented through a temporary regulation, with the suggestion that the tax would be delayed until after the current trade conflict has ended.
BIABC says small businesses deserve greater certainty.
“Pausing this tax was the right decision. Now we are asking every party seeking to form the next government to go one step further and commit that it will not come back,” said Jeremy Heighton, President of BIABC. “Small businesses are making decisions today about hiring, investment and whether they can continue operating. They should not have to wonder whether another significant cost is simply waiting for them on the other side of this election.”
The proposed expansion would have applied PST to a range of professional services, including accounting and bookkeeping, architecture, engineering and geoscience services, non-residential real estate services, and security and private investigation services.
BIABC had been particularly concerned about applying PST to security services at a time when many businesses are already spending more to protect employees, customers and property.
“We have described the proposed PST on security services as a tax on safety, and that concern has not changed,” Heighton said. “Businesses should not be penalized for taking reasonable steps to keep their employees and customers safe. The simplest way to provide certainty is for all parties to say clearly during this campaign that the PST expansion will not be re-established.”
Representing the majority of BC’s Business Improvement Areas and more than 55,000 small businesses, BIABC has called for the election campaign to address the rising cost of doing business, public safety and street disorder, economic competitiveness and the long-term health of downtowns and commercial districts.
A recent BIABC survey found 65 per cent of respondents consider public safety and street disorder a significant concern, 63 per cent believe operating conditions have worsened over the past year and 68 per cent are concerned about the impact crime is having on employees.
Heighton said those broader issues remain important, but the PST question presents political parties with an immediate opportunity to provide businesses with certainty.
About BIABC
The Business Improvement Areas of BC (BIABC) is the provincial champion of strong, vibrant, and successful downtowns, main streets, and commercial districts throughout the province. Its members represent more than 80 business districts, employing hundreds of thousands of retail, service, and office workers.
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For any media enquiries, please contact:
Kelly Gleason
kgleeson@lbmg.ca
604-240-6231
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