The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the federal government to reduce the impact on small business from January’s employment insurance (EI) increase by expanding the EI hiring credit in 2012.
It was one of the measures the CFIB called for in a report, released this morning, that outlines priorities for the upcoming federal budget.
Canada’s Competitive Advantage presents the views of Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as voiced by the organization’s 108,000 members.
The CFIB is calling for the federal government to:
- enhance and expand the EI hiring credit to include businesses with at least $15,000 in EI premiums and make it available to businesses permanently;
- balance the budget by 2015 before it provides any more stimulus funding;
- commit to bringing federal public-sector wages and benefits in line with the private sector;
- fix unsustainable public-sector pensions, including pensions for MPs; and
- make regulatory reform permanent in the public sector to increase accountability, put constraints on regulators and improve customer service.
“It is imperative that government and policy makers take these recommendations into consideration so that we can pave the road to a financially sustainable future for Canada and help build the next generation of entrepreneurs,” the report states.
Catherine Swift, CFIB president, told Business in Vancouver that measures to neutralize the impact of January’s EI premium hike on SMEs are a toppriority for her membership.
“Payroll taxes are a big deal for them, especially when the economy’s tough,” she said, “because payroll taxes you pay whether you’re making money or not.”
Jenny Wagler
@JennyWagler_BIV