Will a change of government affect local business?

Will a change of government affect local business? What happens to our city’s business community should today’s vote go to the Conservatives?

Those questions were posed at the beginning of an article in the January 23rd edition of the Halifax Daily News. The newspaper’s business section thought it was worth asking such questions to a few non-partisan organizations, including the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.

Here’s what the paper wrote based on comments by AIMS president Brian Lee Crowley:

Among the more prominent Conservative promises was the vow to cut the GST. Or the HST locally.

Brian Lee Crowley, president of the think tank Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, said that could spark some initial buying from customers.

“It’s pretty clear that this would be a party strongly dedicated to improving business conditions in the country,” said Crowley. Talk of tax cuts, defence spending in a military town and promises not to go into deficit are good for business, too, he said.

“It’s very healthy for democracy that we have some alteration of parties in power,” he said.

However, it was Crowley’s observations on politicians that seemed to strike a cord with the reporter and provided the concise conclusion for the article.  

Watching it all, Crowley takes it with a grain of salt.

“I don’t believe politician’s promises as a matter of mental hygiene,” said Crowley. “That’s not to say I think they’re all lying. I think many of their promises express good intentions on their part. But the world does not yield to the desires of politicians.”