Something nothing less than magical happened a couple of weeks ago in the growing western community of Langford (population 25,000), just 20 minutes outside of Victoria. Langford's city council ditched their annual business license fees. They dropped them. Just like that.
You may be like me when I first read about Langford's renegade actions. I thought to myself, "You can't just dissolve business licensing! There has got to be a good reason that municipalities have relied on them forever, right?" Not so. Langford Mayor Stew Young, with his action-ready commonsense approach, labeled business licenses as a "bureaucratic paper shuffle" giving very little real value or service to business in exchange for the license itself. In the future, Langford will adopt a perpetual business licensing system which means businesses will purchase one license, at the same price as the old ones. The business will keep this license until a significant change occurs in their business, like a change in location. Not only that, but Mayor Young is considering a reward system where longtime businesses will receive tiered recognition (Silver, Gold and Platinum) for doing business in Langford for over 10, 20 and 30 years.
Now that I have established my own communications company in Prince George, I'm moving through the array of 'registration' activities which will allow me to legally offer my services as a sole proprietor. Langford's actions made me question, "What is the purpose of the business license from the city's point of view?" The Prince George city's website FAQ section explains that business licensing allows the city to regulate municipal land use and building/fire codes. Licensing also allows the city to collect statistics regarding local business so that its policy decisions are in line with the reality on the ground. This certainly explains the initial licensing requirement. But what about the annual licensing requirement if nothing changes from one year to the next? There doesn't seem to be any good reason, other than revenue generation, to bother businesses with a $100+ fee on a yearly basis when they are already paying more in property tax than residential for far fewer municipal services. Businesses employ people, they pay tax, and they support local organizations/teams/charities generously. Shouldn't the city just be happy that they've chosen to do business in Prince George?
I'm pretty sure that business licensing is one of those things in life that has always been done one way. No one questions it because every other city is doing the same thing. But evidently, every-other-city is not Langford. It is this kind of outside-the-box business friendly consciousness that has moved Langford from 25% unemployment in 1992 to become the fastest growing municipality, for its size, in British Columbia. I find Langford's actions refreshing and irresistible. To Mayor Young I say, "Thank-you for showing us it can be done differently and for questioning the nonsense." Until next week, stay in the black and keep coming back.
