What Provinces Have Achieved in 20 Years of Cutting Red Tape
The federal government took the “triple crown for most absurd regulations,” CFIB announced on Jan. 30. The worst instance of red tape use in the country in the past year, it said, is Canada Border Services Agency’s hefty import duties that have pushed a costume store in Calgary to the brink of closure.
The Costume Shoppe’s imported costumes have been reclassified from “festive wear” to “fancy dress,” resulting in an additional $100,000 in import duties and requiring the small business to refile on previous inventory.
Health Canada also won a CFIB “Paper Weight Award” this week for excessive red tape for natural health product businesses. CFIB says new regulations for the industry will result in “paperwork challenges and excessive fees to get a product into the Canadian market,” as well as challenges complying with complex new requirements including new labelling rules.
The third “award” for the federal government in its red tape “triple crown” went to Finance Canada for bringing payroll services under laws aimed at stopping money laundering and terrorist financing. It means more paperwork for small businesses using payroll services, CFIB said, and it duplicates bank measures already in place to prevent these crimes.
I am not a drinker but recognize the bottle as iconic. Love the new name for Dougie.
https://x.com/bcbluecon/status/1961166703280492674
