In what appears to be one of the more finely targeted election announcements in this campaign, the NDP reminded voters Thursday, during a campaign stop at Harbour Air in Vancouver, that electric aircraft are exempt from the provincial sales tax.
The announcement, which benefits Harbour Air more than any other firm as the company intends to convert its entire fleet to electric once its first electric aircraft gets regulatory approval, restates a budget item.
It was included in the 2020 budget as a CleanBC initiative to lower emissions.
“To help us get to that cleaner future where we burn no fossil fuels at all, we’re helping with the early support that companies need to switch to all-electric commercial air travel,” said George Heyman, NDP candidate in Vancouver- Fairview.
Harbour Air president Randy Wright said the tax break could mean other operators will consider conversion to electric.
“Every little bit helps,” he said, adding they hope to be through the regulatory process by the summer of 2022.
Harbour Air had the first successful test flight of an all-electric seaplane — a six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver outfitted with a 750-horsepower electric motor — last December.
The company flies to locations around B.C., including between Victoria and Vancouver.
