Media Advisory - Restaurants Canada available for comment at tomorrow's federal budget

TORONTO, April 20, 2015 /CNW/ -

Who:	Restaurants Canada's Executive Vice President Government Affairs Joyce Reynolds will be available for comment at the federal budget.
What:	Restaurants Canada will watch the budget for actions that help restaurateurs grow their businesses and continue to create jobs, particularly for youth.  Canada's restaurant industry is the number one first-time job creator in Canada and the largest contributor to overall job growth in 2014.
	Restaurants Canada's three budget priorities are:
	1.  Focus on labour shortage
	- Fund reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive labour market information across Canada.
	- Take action to address the gaps between Canadians looking for work and locations and sectors with labour shortages.
	2.  Reduce employer payroll costs
	- Implement an annual yearly basic exemption (YBE) in EI premiums similar to CPP.
	- Move to a 50/50 split in EI premium costs between employers and employees.
	- Add a youth hires tax credit.
	3.  More action on credit card fees
	- Put a cap on credit card interchange fees. Fees are still five times higher than regulated European Union interchange fees.
	- Exempt sales tax from credit card acceptance fees.
When:	Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

Restaurants Canada (formerly the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association) is national association comprising 30,000 businesses in every segment of the foodservice industry, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and their suppliers. Through advocacy, research, and member programs and services, Restaurants Canada is dedicated to helping its members in every community grow and prosper.

SOURCE Restaurants Canada

Media Contacts: Joyce Reynolds, Executive Vice President Government Affairs, 416-738-9204 or [email protected]; Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected]