Coast Tsawwassen Inn, Delta, BC
November 21, 2014
Check against delivery
Good morning and thank you for being here today. Thank you to the Delta Chamber for hosting this morning's conversation, and to Ian for facilitating this session.
As a proud resident of Ladner, I'm familiar with many of your businesses, and I want to thank you for your contributions to our community.
Our Government, under Prime Minister Harper's leadership, has an unrelenting focus on our top priority: creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.
At the core of our plan is a commitment to keep taxes low for Canadians.
We are fulfilling our promise to balance the federal budget. We are now in a position to fulfill our promise to help Canadian families balance theirs.
Today, the overall federal tax burden is at its lowest level in over 50 years. This is an unprecedented achievement—and only our Government would have done it.
But we won't rest on our laurels.
We remain focused on helping hard-working Canadian families prosper - keeping more money in the family budget.
Every Canadian family with children will benefit from our new tax relief and benefit package - the Family Tax Plan.
On average, $1,140 will return to the pockets of families with children through this initiative.
We know that for a more affordable life, Canadians need a more affordable tax burden. That is why we have cut taxes of all kinds - personal taxes, business taxes, the GST.
We are also cutting the effort required to comply with your tax obligations, especially for businesses. Today is the latest in a series of cross-country consultations with small and medium businesses to reduce red tape.
In January 2011, Prime Minister Harper established the Red Tape Reduction Commission to identify irritants to businesses that result from federal government rules and regulations.
A champion of the cause, the Prime Minister calls red tape "the silent killer of jobs."
Our entrepreneurs, the brains and brawn behind our small and medium-sized enterprises (or SMEs), are the backbone of Canada's economy.
You create jobs and growth here in our community and across the country.
After extensive consultations by the Red Tape Reduction Commission, the results were clear: the Canada Revenue Agency needed to improve its services so that Canadian businesses could more quickly and easily fulfill their tax obligations - saving time and money in the process.
Since then, our Government has been actively seeking results.
Specifically, the CRA has taken action to address the feedback received from businesses during both the initial consultations from the Commission in 2011, and the targeted CRA-led consultations in 2012.
You told us that the CRA's online services needed improvement. They had to be more accessible and clear.
We took action. We now have online service enhancements that ensure faster, cheaper, and more accurate filing than ever before. For example:
- As of October 20, 2014, businesses can use My Business Account to manage their banking information online and sign up for pre authorized debit services. This electronic self service feature provides 24/7 control over registering, paying, filing, making changes, and looking at balances.
- All told, businesses can now complete 50 different kinds of transactions online with the CRA. And its online mail service is faster and easier than managing paper correspondence.
- The CRA has also conducted an extensive evaluation of the personalized letters sent directly to taxpayers or their authorized representatives. 129 million such letters or notices were sent out in 2011-2012.
- A plain language approach to communications with taxpayers will ensure clear, concise, and consistent direction - an important part of the CRA's ongoing commitment to reduce red tape and support taxpayers in complying.
You told us that you needed the CRA to simplify your reporting obligations, referencing that most thresholds were not current.
We took action, revising the remittance thresholds for employer source deductions. This reduces the maximum number of payments that businesses are required to submit to the CRA. This eliminates more than 800,000 payroll remittances for over 50,000 SMEs.
To help you remember what's due and when, CRA has launched their first-ever mobile app. The Business Tax Reminders app is targeted for SMEs, so you can create custom reminders and alerts for key CRA due dates related to instalment payments, returns, and remittances.
You told us that that you needed better access to clear and accurate tax information.
We took action. Last January, the CRA launched the Liaison Officer Initiative. Through site visits and record checks, CRA officers provide new entrepreneurs with in-person support and information at key points in your business cycle.
The CRA is providing better support to businesses before a tax return is filed - preventing errors that can be costly to correct after the fact.
The Liaison Officer Initiative is still a pilot program, but the survey responses from 190 participants are overwhelmingly positive. Over 90% said the visit from a Liaison Officer helped them understand and clarify their tax matters.
Most importantly, you said you want to contribute to the evolution of policies, programs, and administration as the CRA improves its services for businesses.
We are taking action! The CRA is committed to consulting with businesses every two years to ensure that its action plans continue to focus on your priorities.
Working closely with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and their national reach, the CRA has scheduled facilitated consultations and CRA-led roundtables—like today—with stakeholders across Canada this fall.
Through October and November, the CRA is consulting businesses in 20 communities from coast to coast to coast.
But we have a big country, and many more businesses who want to be involved. If you have friends and peers who couldn't contribute in person, please let them know that we are also holding online consultations. Find out more on the CRA website: cra.gc.ca.
I want to again thank the Delta Chamber of Commerce for hosting us this morning. You are a great voice for our small and medium business community.
And thank you to our participants for bringing your honest opinions and your critical analysis to the conversation. I can assure you we are listening and taking action on your concerns.
Thank you.
