To the editor:
It doesn’t take an economist to figure out the proposed raising of the minimum wage to $15 per hour is going to hurt the economy, not help it. Can’t the government financial people figure this out? It sounds good but the powers to be are only giving one side of the two-sided coin. They say it’s going to help all the people that make minimum wage. Aahh, no, all it will do is keep them at status quo, but will hurt the remainder of the populace and the economy as a whole, as employers are going to have to raise prices 25 to 30 per cent to cover the extra costs.
Are the employees that are making just above minimum wage going to get equivocal raises? Are people such as seniors who are living on a fixed income going to get raises in their pensions? People, because of the higher costs are now going to have less disposable income to purchase things thereby not buying little extras, thus hurting the economy.
For example a person making $19 per hour now after rent and bills has x amount of money left to spend on groceries and extras. After the raise in minimum wage, this same person will still have the same amount after rent and bills, however because of the increased costs of groceries, will have 25 to 30 per cent less to spend on the extras, therefore won’t purchase them, hurting the economy. As I said it doesn’t take an economist to figure this out. Higher prices equals lower amounts of purchases.
D.G. Long, Kelowna