Fort McMurray, Alberta, July 9, 2012... The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, accompanied by Brian Jean, Member of Parliament for Fort McMurray-Athabasca, today met with members of the local business community to discuss a number of initiatives the Harper Government has introduced to reduce the burden placed on small businesses.
“The CRA has a number of online resources available for businesses to help them manage their accounts and conduct business with the Agency quickly and efficiently,” said Minister Shea. “Our Government continues to look for ways to improve these online services and is actively listening to businesses from coast to coast to coast on how to do it.”
During the roundtable, Minister Shea highlighted several measures that the government has introduced recently to help reduce the burden on small businesses:
- Economic Action Plan 2012 extended the Hiring Credit for Small Business, which helps offset the cost of hiring new employees and will be automatically applied when a qualifying business files its 2012 T4 information return. The CRA will calculate it for you, no added burden.
- The new My Business Account Enquiries Service provides businesses, or their representative, with a secure online portal to ask the CRA tax-related questions specific to their account. Businesses then receive answers they can rely on online and in writing, in the Message Centre.
- Since January 2012, businesses can file up to fifty information returns in a single submission using the CRA’s Web Forms application – fast, easy, and secure.
- To serve Canadian business owners better, the CRA recently created a one-stop shop Web page where businesses can find information and service options that may apply to their situation. Visit it at www.cra.gc.ca/businessonline.
- The CRA also changed the penalty structure that is applied for failure to file an information return by the due date for some small businesses. The new administrative structure, which applies to specific information returns, has lowered the penalties for businesses who file fewer than 11 slips. For example, those filing one to five qualifying returns will have a maximum penalty of $100 under the new structure, as opposed to $1,000 previously.
“Jobs and growth remain our Government’s top priority,” said MP Jean. “These improvements to CRA’s online services are one way we are cutting red tape for small businesses so they can focus on what they do best: creating jobs and generating wealth in communities across Canada.”
-30-
FOR BROADCAST USE:
National Revenue Minister Gail Shea, accompanied by Brian Jean, Member of Parliament for Fort McMurray-Athabasca, today visited the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce to promote the steps the Government of Canada has taken to improve its services and reduce the burden on small businesses. The CRA has introduced a variety of fast, easy and secure resources available to support businesses when they interact with the CRA.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Nancy Bishay
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of National Revenue
613-995-2960
Noel Carisse
Canada Revenue Agency
Media Relations
613-952-9184
