MONTREAL -- According to a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), nine out of 10 small business owners still need support amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Owners are targeting regulatory relief, improving business assistance, and reducing the tax burden as the main priorities they want the Quebec government to work on.  

“Entrepreneurs are putting all their energy into overcoming the crisis. Nearly two out of five in Quebec are working longer hours than before,” said Francois Vincent, the vice-president Quebec at CFIB. “Reducing paperwork means giving them a scarce commodity: time.” 

Vincent said the total cost of regulation in Quebec is estimated at $6.9 billion annually and that it is almost five times more burdensome for companies with fewer than five employees than for companies with more than 100. 

In a time of crisis, businesses want aid programs to be improved

According to data collected by the CFIB, six out of ten Quebec small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) want the government to commit to maintaining assistance programs for the duration of the pandemic. 

“We are in the ninth month of the crisis and it is far from over. The coming months will still be difficult, and SMEs are currently very fragile,” Vincent said. “The debts to face this crisis have accumulated, the expenses are still present, but the income is not there. Improving aid and offering grants rather than loans is more than necessary.” 

With regard to taxation, a majority of small business owners in Quebec (57 per cent) are asking for tax reductions. During the pandemic, companies need all the funds available to keep their businesses alive.

“We must stop turning a blind eye to the heavy tax burden for small businesses in Quebec; it is crippling for their present and for their future,” Vincent said. “Worse yet, some owners in the construction and service industries, who had to work significantly longer hours and had to cut staff due to COVID-19, could experience a real nightmare when their taxes skyrocket this year.” 

“This story is not fiction, but it is a sad fact that some entrepreneurs might face if left unchecked,” Vincent added. “Let’s not wait until it’s too late. The government of Quebec must act now.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 30, 2020.