Small businesses discouraged from trade with the US by high costs: survey
Posted January 18, 2016 10:26 am.
Last Updated January 18, 2016 12:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A survey finds small businesses are being discouraged from trade with the US by high costs.
More than one-third of respondents, 36 per cent, say “administrative hassles and lack of transparency around fees” forces them to reduce the frequency of their international trade. The poll of Canadian Federation of Independent Business members also reveals that “one-third of business owners said they would not have started trading had they known about the costs.”
One anonymous BC retailer quoted in the report says “Be prepared to be given different answers by staff on different days to the same question, creating mass confusion at the border and resulting in paperwork needing to be redone.”
The situation is somewhat improved since a 2010 CFIB poll, with the lobby group saying Canadian border guards show “some improvement in accessibility, knowledge and how they treat customers.” But it still complains the Canada Border Services Agency “showed little improvement in how it provides and communicates relevant information.” A CBSA website for small businesses has been taken down.
