Canadian Business Owners Optimistic, But Wish the Government Would Do More to Help Them

by on September 27, 2011 in Economy

Canadian business owners are reasonably optimistic about what's next for their businesses -- as well as what's next for Canada's economy. Sure, there have been some hiccups about what's happening in housing and with Canadian employment, but business owners don't seem particularly fussed. At least according to a survey conducted on behalf of the business management software provider Sage. Here are the results as they relate to Canada, as reported in MarketWatch:

Survey findings revealed that Canadian small business owners showed optimism in the prospects for their businesses and the country's economy as a whole. On a scale of 0-100, where 50 is neutral and values above 50 reflect optimism and those below 50 denote pessimism, business owners rated their own prospects at 59.38 and for Canada's economy at 56.09.

However, even though Canadian small business owners are feeling fairly optimistic, they do see plenty of room for improvement. According to the business survey, 63% of small business owners feel that the Canadian government should be doing more to help them thrive. Some of the ways that some respondents thought that the government could help include:

  • Reduce the business bureaucracy and legislation that can provide hurdles to business (41% of respondents)
  • Reduce business taxes (40% of respondents)
  • Do more to control energy costs  (32% of respondents)
Clearly, even though there is some optimism regarding what's next for the Canadian economy, and the small business climate, many owners are looking for some help. The recent global economic downturn hasn't been as difficult for Canada as for our neighbor to the South, but many business have felt the pinch nonetheless. If your business has been feeling some of the effects, it can help to make sure that you are prepared for the future. You can protect and ease your cash flow with the right Canadian business credit card, as well as look for ways to build up your loyal client base. Even though there is some general optimism, it's important to realize that some think that the global economy could slide back into recession, and that the U.S. economy could slide as well. Those events would affect Canadian businesses.
Getting small businesses back on their feet should be a priority for the government, and there are things that the government can do to encourage Canadian businesses to thrive. Business owners seem to think that less red tape -- and fewer taxes -- might help. And it might be worth trying.
Image source: Ryan Clare via Wikimedia Commons
This post was included in the Carnival of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money.

Tags: , , , , , ,

One Response to “Canadian Business Owners Optimistic, But Wish the Government Would Do More to Help Them”

  1. Johnson September 29, 2011 at 5:12 pm #

    It has never seemed to me that the government has been helpful at all when it comes to small business. It’s as if big corporations who pull in the larger profits get most of the tax breaks, and the middle class small business owner is left to dish out a higher share of tax. I think there are many things the Canadian government can do to help small business.