Red tape continues to plague Surrey businesses as a major concern – with more than three-quarters of respondents of a recent poll saying their costs linked with compliance have risen in the last two years.
The new report, completed by the Surrey Board of Trade for 2022, said more than 75.9% of the poll’s respondents (which consist of 15% of the board’s 6,000-strong membership) said costs associated with compliance to red tape in all levels of government has risen since 2020.
Other issues of concern linked to red tape also remain elevated in polling. About 80% said compliance resulted in moderate or major impact to business, while 82.8% said the time needed to comply has also increased in the last two years.
“An increasing number of our respondents are finding regulatory compliance compromising their ability to start, grow and innovate their businesses,” said Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman in a statement. “Perhaps we need to bring back a Red Tape Reduction Minister concept at all levels of government.”
The gripe of Surrey businesses is concentrated on two agencies, neither of them at the municipal level; Canada Revenue Agency led the way on the federal level in targetted complaints with 92.6%, while WorkSafeBC matched that 92.6% complaint rate on the provincial level.
The red tape around tax regulation has become so cumbersome that 35.9% of respondents are now outsourcing income tax return filings, the report said.
Interestingly, the 80% figure of respondents experiencing moderate to major business impacts due to red tape is actually down slightly from 2020 and 2021 levels (around 81%). The recent municipal election – won by Surrey Connect’s Brenda Locke – had significant attention dedicated to backlogs in areas such as applications for construction projects.
The Board of Trade said it is recommending all levels of government to consider the dedicated-minister approach advocated by Huberman to address the situation. On top of that, other recommendations from the report include measures to simplify instructions on what businesses need to do to comply, as well as providing better/more efficient portals of service like online platforms and call centres.
There should also be communication between different agencies to avoid duplication of information requirements, the report suggested.
The full report is available at businessinsurrey.com.
