The Surrey Board of Trade's 2024 Government Red Tape Report tells a tale of low morale among local businesses tangled up in government bureaucracy and red tape.
“An increasing number of our respondents are finding regulatory compliance compromising their ability to start, grow and innovate their businesses,” says Jasroop Gosal, a board spokesman. “Perhaps we need to bring back a Red Tape Reduction Minister concept at all levels of government.”
Excessive bureaucracy is resulting in unreasonable delays and costs for businesses, the board maintains.
While doing up forms and applying for licenses are inevitable when doing business, however, the board seeks to make things less "onerous" for its members and toward that end recommends that governments at all levels simplify instructions on regulatory compliance, improve their online service portals and call centre services, use "clear" language and ensure that "relevant" links work and are up to date.
Moreover, it asks that agencies share information to reduce duplication, that all levels of government harmonize their regulations and policies, and create a single window for reporting requirements.
The desired result of such improvements is more predictability, strengthening international trade, and freeing up capital to invest in business not processes for its roughly 6,000 members employing some 60,000 workers, as well as allow small businesses to better compete and grow.
Between August and October roughly 120 members of the Surrey Board of Trade responded to an online survey with the results then being tabulated into the 26-page report.
Fifty per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that inflation, interest rates, and cost-of-living increases have impacted business operations and a full 100 per cent agreed or strongly agreed their operating costs have risen.
On the federal front, the survey found, the Canada Revenue Agency’s "superfluous audits, wait times, and disclosure filings were the processes with the highest levels of red tape" while on the provincial front, dealing with speculation and vacancy tax filing, trying to connect with bureaucrats, and dealing with contract awarding timelines, development approval times as well as disclosure filings were identified as "processes with the highest level of red tape."
At the civic level, city hall red tape in the form of development cost charges, increases in community amenity contributions, business registration documentation, permits for new leases and "overlapping requirements were the processes with the highest level of red tape.
Moreover, 51.1 per cent of survey respondents indicated regulations are impeding their ability to grow their businesses, 36.7 per cent said the Employer Health Tax (EHT) was "negatively impacting" their business, 56.7 per cent agreed the EHT exemption threshold should be increased to $1,500,000 and 40 per cent indicated they "experienced an impact to their business" as a result of paid sick leave legislation.
