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Government should eliminate increased fees as a step towards decreasing red tape
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Judy Foote, Opposition Critic for Business and MHA for the District of Grand
Bank, says she finds it very ironic that the Williams Government is touting
their new red tape reduction strategy as a way to help small and medium
sized businesses save money, the same government that brought in new fees
and increased existing fees for businesses over the past two years. "It is obvious that this government has done very little to assist small and medium sized businesses in the province," said Ms. Foote. "If this government was serious about stimulating growth among small and medium sized businesses, the first step would be to eliminate the extra red tape they created themselves by introducing new fees and increasing fees that were already in existence." Some of the fees increased or imposed by the Williams government over the past two years include a licence fee for food premises, fees for inspections, documentation fees, and increased service costs. These are fees that impact directly on small and medium sized businesses. "Over 100 fees have been increased by this government since they came into office. In addition, the economic climate in this province has been negatively impacted by the cuts and lack of any new investment initiatives. While this task force may be well-intentioned, it is clearly an attempt by this government to suggest it is doing something constructive when their actions to date clearly show differently. There is still no comprehensive policy to encourage the growth and development of small and medium sized businesses in this province, especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. "We all appreciate and recognize the importance of small and medium sized businesses in this province and anything that can be done to help these enterprises grow should be encouraged. However, until this government accepts the fact that their decisions and approach are part of the problem, I doubt very much that businesses in this province will see any real benefit from this initiative."
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