Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay highlights red tape reduction measures to help small businesses thrive

Delta, British Columbia, November 13, 2013 The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East, today met with local business community leaders at a roundtable event in Delta, B.C., to highlight measures introduced by the Harper Government to reduce red tape for small business.

“Our government is keenly aware that small businesses are fundamental to great economies, job creation, community confidence, and supporting local economic activities,” said Minister Findlay. “We have consulted with small business owners who have provided valuable insight into what would make running their businesses easier and what improvements to our services they wanted to see. Their feedback has allowed us to implement significant and focussed red tape reduction measures. There are now fewer regulations and the cost of red tape has been reduced by nearly $20 million annually.”

The CRA’s Red Tape Reduction Action Plan lays out 12 commitments by the CRA to address the irritants businesses identified during the Red Tape Reduction Commission’s consultations in 2010, and further refined by the CRA’s own consultations in 2012.

Some highlights for 2013 are:

• A new CRA Red Tape Reduction Action plan webpage that gives businesses up-to-date information on the CRA’s progress.
• A new online mail service for Canadian small businesses. Businesses can now communicate with the CRA online, which will help streamline their interactions with the CRA.
• The My Business Account online enquiries service. Businesses or their representatives can ask the CRA tax-related questions about their accounts online and they will receive answers online and in writing.
• A one-stop-shop webpage for business services. Businesses can now easily find information and service options relevant to their tax situation.
• Agent ID for the CRA’s business enquiries telephone service. Now, when a business owner calls the CRA, the agent who answers provides an ID at the beginning of the call. The Agent ID number provides increased accountability for business calls to the CRA, ensures a consistent experience for callers, and makes it easier for business owners to give feedback on CRA services.

The CRA will continue to consult every two years with small businesses and small business service providers in cities across the country to seek their views on progress made and to ensure the Agency’s action plans remain relevant to small business needs.

For opportunities to participate in further consultations, please go to the CRA’s Red Tape Reduction webpage regularly, and stay connected by subscribing to our mailing lists and joining the conversation on Twitter. The CRA’s next consultation period will be in 2014.

Minister Findlay also discussed the Harper Government’s recent announcement of an agreement-in-principle between Canada and the European Union (EU) on a comprehensive economic and trade agreement, seizing a historic opportunity to gain preferential access to the largest market in the world—a market with over 500 million consumers and a gross domestic product of $17 trillion.

The Minister noted that the Canada–EU trade agreement will generate prosperity and growth for all Canadian businesses, including small and medium-sized businesses, in every region of the country. It will help them to succeed abroad by making it easier and less costly for them to do business in the EU. The Canada–EU trade agreement will also help level the playing field in the EU, making Canadian small and medium-sized businesses more competitive, giving them a significant advantage over most third-party competitors.

Canada Revenue Agency

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