Red tape an issue for Atlantic Canadian businesses, says CFIB

CITYnews halifax / By Blake Priddle

A new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business finds half of small business owners in Atlantic Canada feel their municipalities are not small business friendly.

Some of the issues small businesses in Atlantic Canada identified in the report include property taxes, municipal red tape, and crime and safety.

When it comes to property taxes, for some business owners it’s hard to predict how these rates will increase making hard to plan for their business, according to Duncan Roberston, senior policy analyst for the CFIB in Nova Scotia.

“Halifax does quite well at red tape reduction, but looking across Atlantic Canada there’s much more to be done,” Roberston said. “We’d like all municipalities to introduce a red-tape feedback mechanism, here in Nova Scotia the provincial government has one but we’d like to see one at the municipal level as well so small businesses can voice their concerns directly to policy makers.”

Robertson added small business owners want municipalities to look at ways to make it easier for for them to conduct their business in their respective communities.