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Alice Wong in Question Period
On May 4, 2016, Alice Wong asked one question in the House of Commons on the topic of Small Business.
The following is a transcript:
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, just this week, Stats Canada showed what Conservatives have known all along, small businesses are the middle class.
Unfortunately, the Liberals do not seem to understand. Instead, they abandoned our small business owners when they broke their promise to lower the small business tax rate to 9%. This broken promise will cost our middle class $2.2 billion.
Why do Liberals continue to abandon our hard-working small business owners?
Ms. Gudie Hutchings (Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House as a small business owner and operator in Newfoundland and Labrador for over 25 years. I am proud to stand with a government that understands small business owners need and want a robust economy to succeed.
We know that the small business tax rate is there to help companies grow, but we also know there is a loophole, as I mentioned yesterday. That is costing taxpayers an estimated $500 million a year. We are going to fix that problem and I look forward to being part of the team that will fix that.
Alice Wong in Question Period
On April 18, 2016, Alice Wong asked two questions in the House of Commons on the topic of Small Business.
The following is a transcript:
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Small Business and Tourism told us to look at the budget with regard to small businesses, so let us do that.
The fact is the Liberals dismissed recommendations from the finance committee and ignored recommendations from small business owners. The minister claims to be working with stakeholders, but recent history shows there is no sense in trusting what Liberals say.
When will the minister stop hiding behind empty promises and stand up for small business owners?
Hon. Bardish Chagger (Minister of Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I have been working closely with small business owners and stakeholders across this nation. Since being put in this post, I have met with almost 250 stakeholders, small business owners, and the people who work hard for them. Our budget actually supports small businesses.
We are listening to Canadians. We are listening to small business owners. That is what we will continue to do.
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the minister’s mandate letter tells her what her priorities are. One of them is, “Work with the Minister of Finance as the small business tax rate reduction is implemented”.
Could the Minister of Small Business and Tourism explain why the finance minister ignored her and instead raised taxes on small businesses?
Hon. Bardish Chagger (Minister of Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, this government is taking a whole-of-government approach. We work very closely with each other. Part of working together is listening to each other and engaging in difficult conversations.
I work closely with the Minister of Finance. We have consultations and discussions every day. We are not just listening to each other, we are listening to Canadians and small business owners, because we need to ensure that they have the robust economy that they need, and that is what we will do.
Alice Wong in Question Period
On March 24, 2016, Alice Wong asked two questions in the House of Commons on the topic of Small Business.
The following is a transcript:
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals broke their promise to business owners by suspending the tax cut to small businesses.
On December 11, the Minister of Small Business and Tourism stood in this House and stated:
I will be working closely with the Minister of Finance to ensure that our commitment to lower the tax burden on small businesses is fulfilled.
Why did the minister decide to flip-flop and lobby her own government for higher taxes?
Ms. Gudie Hutchings (Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague of the list of items that I just read off to help small businesses.
We do understand the impact to small business. We understand that they represent 90% and contribute over 40% of our GDP. That is why we are working hard with them to ensure they can avail of all the programs and initiatives that we announced in our budget that we are proud of. We will work with small and medium-sized businesses from coast to coast to coast to ensure they get the support they need going forward.
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals misled Canadian small businesses. They said one thing and did the other.
Conservatives believe that the best way to help small businesses is trade, training, and tax cuts. Instead, the Liberals are killing small businesses with taxes, taxes, and more taxes.
When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on job creators?
Ms. Gudie Hutchings (Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague of another initiative we had in our budget that we are very proud of, which was the increased marketing money for Destination Canada, increasing it by $50 million.
We know that most of these tourism industries are small and medium-sized businesses. What that $50 million is going to do is bring more customers to them, driving across our new roads and bridges too, I might add.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Ms. Gudie Hutchings: The investment in Destination Canada is going to have a huge impact from coast to coast to coast in our tourism industries.
Liberals Break Another Promise on Small Business
Download the press release:
LIBERALS BREAK ANOTHER PROMISE ON SMALL BUSINESSES
Liberals decide to raise taxes on Small Business
Richmond, BC – Alice Wong, Member of Parliament for Richmond Centre and critic for Small Business, gave the following remarks after the introduction of the 2016 Federal Budget:
“The Liberals campaigned on a promise to see the small business tax rate decrease from 11% to 9%[1] and instead they have stopped this tax cut – a tax cut that the Minister for Small Business and Tourism claimed she would ‘…be working closely with the Minister of Finance to ensure that our commitment to lower the tax burden on small businesses is fulfilled.’[2]
Indeed, the small business tax cut was promised in the Liberal 2015 election platform, and this promise was broken, in addition to the pledge to keeping the deficit under $10 billion.
Businesses thrive on stability and after Budget 2016, all they can count on is fiscal uncertainty. Which taxes is the government going to increase next to pay for their bloated deficits?”
Other small business stakeholder groups have negatively commented on Budget 2016’s impact to small businesses.
Dan Kelly, President of CFIB, stated that, “Other than some infrastructure spending, there is nothing in this budget that will help any small firm create even one job.” [3]
In conclusion, this reflects yet another Liberal promise broken, and a government that is choosing to turn its back on the small business job creators in Canada.
For inquiries, contact:
Office of Hon. Alice Wong, MP (Richmond Centre)
alice.wong@parl.gc.ca
613-995-2021
[1] Page 80, Liberal 2015 Election Platform
[2] December 11, 2015 (spoken in the House of Commons)
[3] March 22, 2016 CFIB News Release, “2016 budget breaks election promise to small business”
Alice Wong in Question Period
On March 8, 2016, Alice Wong asked a question about Small Business during question period.
The following is a transcript:
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, for weeks the Liberals have been giving mixed signals and dodging questions about small businesses and the new job killing start-up tax. Some days they want to increase taxes for everybody, and some days they only want to raise taxes on small business owners.
When will the Liberals abandon their job killing start-up tax?
Hon. Bardish Chagger (Minister of Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
It is the opposite, Mr. Speaker. This government supports small and medium-sized businesses. We are committed to helping them grow. We are committed to helping them innovate, to become more productive and to become expert oriented. We have launched the Canexport program, which has received a wonderful response.
This morning, for International Women’s Day, I was with Startup Canada for its women’s day breakfast, and I met a young entrepreneur, a girl in grade 5, by the name of Frankie. She and her friend started up a business.
The spirit of entrepreneurship is here. This government recognizes that small businesses are job creators and will grow the economy.
Liberals Must Provide Clarity to Small Businesses
The Liberal government must stop sending mixed signals and inconsistent messages to Canada’s small business community. Alice Wong, Official Opposition Critic for Small Business, and Phil McColeman, Opposition Deputy Finance Critic, today called for clarity from the Finance Minister on his intentions to target professionals operating small businesses incorporated as Canadian Controlled Private Corporations (CCPCs).
“With experts projecting that the Liberals intend to borrow close to $150 billion – putting Canada on track for at least ten years of deficit spending – Canada’s small business community remains on edge about whether they will be targeted by the Finance Minister to pay for his big government spending plans,” said McColeman. “Every time the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister recklessly muse about targeting different sectors of our economy to fund their borrowing, it sends shockwaves of uncertainty through the economy and causes business to hold back on investing and hiring.”
“Canadian small businesses play a crucial role in the economy. They deserve to have clarity from this current government, and their ideas and recommendations need to be listened to,” said MP Wong. “Businesses thrive when they know what the rules are, and the Liberal government’s inability to clarify what the rules are going to be for small business owners is stalling further investment and jobs in our economy.”
In his appearance before the Standing Committee on Finance during the Committee’s 2016 Pre-Budget Consultations, Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, echoed major concerns from the small business community about the government’s plans:
“We are a little bit freaked out with the prospect for some clawing back of access to the small business corporate tax rate. There have been some messages from the new government that it may limit some of the businesses who currently do take advantage of the lower small business corporate tax rate. Some talk about perhaps professionals being disallowed from accessing that rate … we’re hoping to get some messages of reassurance on that front in our meetings in the months ahead.” – Standing Committee on Finance, Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Jamie Golombek, managing director of tax and estate planning with CIBC Private Wealth Management, recently stated that concerns about Liberal plans to target small business are “the No. 1 issue that comes up when we deal with small business owners,” suggesting that advisors are recommending that professionals hold off on making business decisions until the Federal Government provides clarity on its intentions.
“Now is not the time for political games that create uncertainty and damage the Canadian economy. Small businesses know that someone will have to pay for the federal government’s massive borrowing plans, and the Liberal government’s irresponsible approach of publicly considering short-sighted tax grabs, without providing any certainty, must end,” said MP McColeman.
“The Conservative Opposition is calling on the Finance Minister to immediately clarify exactly what taxation changes he intends to introduce for Canada’s small businesses in the 2016 federal budget,” said MP Wong.
BACKGROUNDER
• During the 2015 election, Prime Minister Trudeau stated his view that “a large percentage of small businesses are actually just ways for wealthier Canadians to save on their taxes”.
• The Liberal Platform signalled a belief that Small Businesses could be targeted to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal revenues, by changing the rules around professional and family businesses with Canadian Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) status.
• The Prime Minister’s Mandate Letter to the Minister of Small Businesses and Tourism instructed her to work with the Minister of Finance to ensure that the small business tax rate is not used “to reduce personal income tax obligations for high-income earners”.
• During the Finance Committee’s 2016 Pre-Budget Consultations, Liberal MP Robert Falcon-Oullette stated: “I’ve never seen a homeless practising doctor.”
• During the Finance Committee’s 2016 Pre-Budget Consultations, Liberal MP Raj Grewal indicated that taxation for professional small businesses should remain status quo, while other small businesses should receive a reduction in the small business tax rate: “The economic rationale for me is that small businesses outside the professions deserve the reduction, and the professions remain as status quo”. When reached for an interview to provide clarity, Grewal fuelled further uncertainty, stating that “The government hasn’t made a final decision on that. It may or may not be included in the budget.”
• During the Finance Committee’s 2016 Pre-Budget Consultations, in response to a question from MP McColeman about whether he intended to eliminate the current taxation status held by professional CCPC’s, the Minister of Finance indicated that a decision has in fact already been made, stating: “I can confirm, no.”
• A February 29, 2016 Globe and Mail article indicated that the Finance Minister’s office, when asked to provide clarity on the Minister’s statement, declined to make any further comment.
Alice Wong in Question Period
On December 11, 2015, Alice Wong asked a question about Small Business during question period.
The following is a transcript:
Hon. Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stated during the campaign that a large percentage of small businesses were nothing more than tax havens for wealthy Canadians trying to evade taxes. The Minister of Small Business and Tourism is now turning that statement into official government policy.
How can the minister justify going after small and medium-sized business owners to pay for the finance minister’s deficit?
Hon. Bardish Chagger (Minister of Small Business and Tourism, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, it is both an honour and a privilege to stand in the House. I would like to thank the good people of the riding of Waterloo for having me here to represent them.
As Minister of Small Business and Tourism, I am committed to representing small businesses across this nation. I will be working closely with the Minister of Finance to ensure that our commitment to lower the tax burden on small businesses is fulfilled. Not only will we be doing that but we will be working with small businesses because we know that they are job creators, they are the economic drivers of our nation. We will continue to work with them wholeheartedly. I look forward— [Note: Speaker ran out of time]