Minister Findlay meets with members of the Fort St. John & District Chamber of Commerce to highlight Government support for small business

April 9, 2015 - Fort St. John, BC - Canada Revenue Agency

The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue, today met with members of the Fort St. John & District Chamber of Commerce to highlight the Government of Canada’s actions to cut red tape and improve services, and to promote other government tax relief measures for small and medium-sized businesses.

This Government has taken action to reduce the red tape burden for businesses, including:

• eliminating more than 800,000 remittances for over 50,000 businesses;
• improving the clarity and simplifying the content of its communications to businesses;
• launching its first tax-related mobile app for businesses;
• expanding online payment methods with the launch of the pre-authorized debit option;
• requiring all business phone enquiries agents to use a standard Agent ID when dealing with a business; and
• introducing the new Liaison Officer Initiative to help businesses get it right from the start.

In September 2014, the Government of Canada also introduced the Small Business Job Credit, a two-year measure that effectively lowers the Employment Insurance premiums for small businesses for two years. The savings will help small businesses create jobs and support Canada's economic growth.

The Government of Canada continues to work with small and medium-sized business owners and their stakeholders to reduce red tape. This past fall, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) met with small and medium-sized business owners, their accountants, bookkeepers, and stakeholder associations—in more than 20 cities across the country and online—to hear how the CRA could further improve its red tape reduction efforts. Results from the 2014 consultation findings will be made public this spring.

Quick Facts

• The CRA’s 2012 red tape reduction consultations led to improvements in: the availability and clarity of tax information; online services; the collection of information; reporting obligations and frequency of filing; and more. The results can be found in the Focussing on Small Business Priorities: Canada Revenue Agency Consultations on Cutting Red Tape report.
• As part of Economic Action Plan 2014, 800,000 payroll remittances for over 50,000 small businesses were eliminated, earning Minister Findlay the CFIB’s Golden Scissors Award.
• The CRA is improving its communications. Plain language is being used in millions of notices and letters sent to Canadians to ensure that taxpayers better understand the correspondence, and make it easier for them to meet their tax obligations and access eligible benefits.
• Business owners who have paid $15,000 or less in total EI premiums for all their payroll accounts are  eligible for the Small Business Job Credit
• The Small Business Job Credit is expected to save small businesses more than $550 million over two years.

Quotes

“Our Government continues to implement a number of service and program enhancements that cut red tape and provide tax relief for small businesses, like those right here in Fort St. John. The Small Business Job Credit will save small business owners $550 million over two years, money that can be reinvested to create jobs and help communities prosper. And I’m proud to say that the credit creates no added administrative burden on small businesses; the CRA will calculate the credit for them, so that they can continue to focus on what they do best.”

The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue

“The Chamber of Commerce works to ensure that our members have a voice at all levels—in our community, across the province, and with the federal government. More business owners are looking for ways to simplify their dealings with the CRA and to be able to do more online means our members can access what they need, when they need it. Meetings like today’s roundtable with Minister Findlay allow us to highlight the challenges faced by our members and provide feedback on how the Government can continue to improve its services.”

Lilia Hansen, Executive Director, Fort St. John & District Chamber of Commerce

"In Fort St. John we have many small businesses and one thing they all have in common is having to deal with the CRA. More online services and enhanced resources are cutting red tape and having a real impact on the day-to-day lives of business owners right here in Northeastern BC. Our Government's low-tax plan for jobs and growth is helping these businesses to thrive in a competitive world and creating jobs in our community."

Bob Zimmer, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River