THUNDER BAY – BUSINESS – In response to yesterday’s announcement by the Minister of Finance that he and his colleagues want to discuss his proposed tax changes with small business owners across the country, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is offering to organize 25 cross-country forums. “Members of the Thunder Bay Chamber would welcome the opportunity to express their concerns about the proposed corporate tax changes. Small Business owners are struggling to fully understand what these proposals mean to them and their business, which is why we are hosting an information session for our members on Wednesday, September 13th,” says Charla Robinson, President of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce.
“I welcome the Minister’s wish to meet with small business owners. To assist, the Canadian Chamber is offering to provide 25 forums across Canada, organized by our network of local chambers between now and the end of November, for the Minister and his colleagues to explain the government’s tax reform proposals to small businesses and hear their concerns,” said the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “This would be without cost to the government. Our only preconditions would be that the government put these massive tax changes on hold to allow time for these meetings to take place and that it commit to fairly consider the issues raised.”
The Government of Canada has recently announced a massive tax reform that would affect private businesses across the country by scrutinizing the salary and dividends that business owners pay to family members, limiting a business owner’s ability to convert income into capital gains, as well as imposing a punitive tax on passive investments made inside a corporation.
“I believe the Minister when he says that his goal is tax fairness. That is our goal, too. And I believe it is the goal of the over 200,000 businesses represented by the Canadian Chamber network. Legitimate small business owners want to be treated with respect by their government, and certainly have no interest in subsidizing people who are simply trying to avoid carrying their fair share of the burden,” said Mr. Beatty.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal government. It helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families across Canada with a network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 200,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions. Follow us on Twitter @CdnChamberofCom.
