Media Advisory - Canada's 5th annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ coming Jan 27-31

The good, the bad and the ugly of this "hidden" tax is revealed

TORONTO, Jan. 22, 2014 /CNW/ - The endless rules that governments impose on Canadians and small businesses alike cost billions of hidden tax dollars annually. Now in its fifth year, Canada's Red Tape Awareness Week™ aims to demonstrate how real the red tape burden is for business owners and ordinary Canadians, and where we are in the effort to reduce that burden.

"Small business owners have told us that red tape is like death by a thousand paper cuts," says Satinder Chera, vice president at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). "Five years after we started our awareness campaign, we'll see who is doing what they said they would do, but I feel we have reason to be optimistic."

From a report card that grades individual governments on their own red tape reduction efforts to recognizing leadership that has made a difference in cutting it, Red Tape Awareness Week™ 2014 is sure to be action-packed:

• Monday, January 27 - Red tape affects us all. This year's report quantifies the cost of red tape to ordinary Canadians, not just businesses.
  
  
• Tuesday, January 28 - Report card day! Some governments talk the talk when it comes to cutting red tape. We'll see who's walking the walk.
  
  
• Wednesday, January 29 - We cost-out the impact of complying with government regulations for Canada's farmers and other agri-businesses.
  
  
• Thursday, January 30 - The winner of the third annual Golden Scissors Award will be announced, recognizing who's doing the most to cut red tape (finalists announced Jan 23).
  
  
• Friday, January 31 - The winner of the (new) Paperweight Award will be announced. For years, we've been recognizing the very best when it comes to fighting red tape. This new award goes to the very worst… (finalists to be announced Jan 24).

Canadians are encouraged to show their support for CFIB's Red Tape Revolution by signing the on-line petition (www.cfib.ca/rtaw) that will be delivered to governments.

CFIB is Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region.

SOURCE: Canadian Federation of Independent Business

please contact Gisele Lumsden at 416-222-8022 or [email protected].