VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/23/15 -- Canada Revenue Agency
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has named the Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue, the 2015 winner of its prestigious Golden Scissors Award. The award honours elected officials or others in government who have shown leadership in freeing entrepreneurs from the burden of red tape. Nominations were received from across the country and across all levels of government.
Minister Findlay was presented with the Golden Scissors Award for a change to tax administration that eliminated more than 800,000 payroll remittances for over 50,000 small businesses. Minister Findlay accepted the award from Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President for the CFIB during a meeting with CFIB members.
The Government of Canada has taken a number of actions to cut red tape and to introduce, simplify, and enhance services to meet the needs of Canadian businesses. Minister Findlay also acknowledged the need to continue to take action on this important issue to help small businesses focus more of their time on what they do best: creating jobs for Canadians and economic growth in their communities.
Prime Minister Harper, a champion of the cause since creating the Red Tape Reduction Commission in 2011, calls red tape "the silent killer of jobs". It is under his leadership that the Government has taken many actions to reduce the red tape burden for businesses, including:
- Through the CRA's secure online self-service portal, businesses now have greater control over more than 50 different transactions such as registering for services, making payments, filing returns, making account changes, asking questions, viewing balances, and updating banking and direct deposit information electronically and signing up for pre-authorized debit services;
- The frequency at which payroll source deductions must be remitted to the CRA by small and medium-sized employers was reduced, eliminating in the process more than 800,000 payroll-related payments for over 50,000 small and medium-sized businesses;
- Recognizing that a concise and consistent plain language approach to the millions of notices and letters sent to Canadians will help to ensure taxpayers have the information they need to accessing the benefits to which they may be entitled;
- The CRA launched its first-ever mobile app, the Business Tax Reminders app, which allows small and medium-sized businesses to create custom reminders and alerts for dates related to instalment payments, returns, and remittances; and
- The new Liaison Officer Initiative was launched to help small and medium-sized businesses get it right from start with in-person support and information by CRA officers at key points in the business cycle.
Quick Facts
- The fall 2014 red tape reduction consultations were held online and in 20 cities coast to coast to coast. The findings of the consultations will be reported in the spring.
- The CRA's 2012 red tape reduction consultations led to improvements in several areas, such as 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 its focus on red tape reduction and better service, the CRA is improving the clarity and simplifying the content of its communications. A concise and consistent plain language approach to the millions of notices and letters sent to Canadians will help to ensure taxpayers are better supported in meeting their tax obligations and accessing the benefits to which they may be entitled. In 2013-2014, the CRA mailed 106 million pieces of external administrative correspondence to taxpayers.
Quotes
"In Economic Action Plan 2014, our Government revised the remittance thresholds for employer source deductions. The real impact of that change is that over 50,000 small and medium-sized employers will see the maximum number of required payments on account of source deductions cut in half. This eliminates the requirement for more than 800,000 payments. That's 50,000 businesses who now have less frequent reporting to government, and therefore less red tape. That's 50,000 entrepreneurs who now have more time to focus on growing their business, employing Canadians, and supporting our economy."
The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Harper, reducing red tape for businesses across the country continues to be a priority for our Government. We have made significant strides, but we know that there is still work to be done. We have received very important and constructive feedback through our 2014 consultations with small and medium businesses, their service providers, and stakeholder associations, as well as through the CFIB's report card. I want to thank CFIB for being both a strong voice for the business community and an important partner in our efforts to cut red tape."
The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Minister of National Revenue
"CFIB members support the direction that the CRA has taken over the past two years. Dealing with the CRA can be especially frustrating for small business owners, but we see that gradually changing, with a growing emphasis on online services like My Business Account, and a renewed commitment to treating taxpayers more like customers. We know that things won't change overnight, but they are changing for the better, and CFIB will continue to work with the CRA to keep things moving in the right direction."
Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President, CFIB
Associated Links
My Business Account
Red Tape Reduction
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Canada Revenue Agency
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