Wednesday. January 27. 1999 - North Shore News - 28A

Our MISSION

The North Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce
is dedicated to enhancing
the quality of life in the community
by actively supporting business,
economic growth and diversification.

F ilm & Television Industry

P If you're wondering if you
could be doing more about

by Judi Ainsworth

Revenue Canada backed olf
on their pian to tax American
film and television personnel at
the full Canadian tax rate last
Friday afternoon. Revenue
Minister Herb Dhaliwal met
with an industry delegation
from across Canada and
announced thai they will work
towards a solution to the tax
issuc. This meeting was follow.
ing a conference call with the
Minister that included Peter
Leitch of Lions Gate Studios,
Mayor Don Bell, Mayor Jack
Loucks, Senator Ray Perrault
and Chamber President Judi
Ainsworth.

“The combined effort of the
film and television industry and
our local government and busi-
ness representatives sent a clear
message to the Federal
Government that this industry

15 just too Important 1o Nonh
Vancouver business to allow it
to go elsewhere.

What does this really mean
to the North Share economy?
In short, that time is on our side
but a long-term solution needs
to be found. The impact to the
local economy is estimated to be
$100,060,000. Unlike many
situations where Americans are
watking in Canada and taking
Canadian investment out of the
country when they leave, in this
instance, it is American invest-
meni mostly staying in Canada
with approximately 20% return-
ing to the US in salaries.

The soletion dees not lie
with the Revenue Minister - It
requires a change in Canadian
tax legislation and such a
change will be the responsibility
of the Minister of Finance. The
Chamber will put forward a pol-

icy resclution to recommend
such a change at both the
Brittsh Columbia Chamber of
Commerce and Canadian
Chamber of Commerce Annual
Gencral Meetings. The Revenue
Minister has promised to con-
sult with the film industry to
find a solution, but local busi-
ness must keep up the cam-
paign for a long-term resolu-
tion.

Friday's announcement was
a clear indication that when
government and business work
together we can make a differ-
eace. Every individual who
participated in the campaign to
save the North Shore's fastest
growing industry had an impact
on the decision made by
Revenue Canada, The Chamber
of Commerce will continue its
advacacy role and its efforts
with the municipal and provin-
cial governments to ensure this

very portable industry stays in
our community.

Peter Leitch, vP and Generai
Manager, Lions Gate Studios.

Ifyou would like more infor-
mation on how you can help,
cail the Chamber office at 987-
4488.

Growing your business through International Trade

Are you thinking about sell-
ing your product or service to
clients in other countries? You
may find success in internation-
al markets as trade barriers
around the world continue to
fall and export conditions for
companies of ali sizes improve.
Some smaller companies may
hold an export competitive
advantage in some situations
because they can serve market
niches that are not cost-eflective
for large corparations.

Yes, internationai business
niay be a great way to build
your business in the long-term.
You must remember, however,
that there could be significant
hurdles to overcome once you

decide to export.

For example, international
customers tend to take 120 days
longer to pay invoices so you
may find that cash flow is
unable to handle the cost of a
big international order, month
after month. — Since most
exporters face this problem it is
not surprising that a number of
specialized methods have been
developed to assist in receiving
payments from abroad.

A new committee has been
formed by the North Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce, made
up of importers, exporters,
shipping agents, international
marketing companies etc, which
aims at assisting each other in

Alan Donald

the international trade field.
The committee has the goal to
source practical information on

the basics to exporting and
importing through education
and networking. ‘

Often, international traders
are faced with a variety of issues
when attempting to put togeth-
er their export-import contracts.
Through participation in this
committee, members can help
overcome some of these hur-
dles, with helpful answers and
explanations to a range of ques-
uons.

For information on the
International Trade Commitee,
contact Alan Donald, Chair at
990-7877 or via e-mail adon-
ald@axion.net

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