Campaigning is well under way in Canada, with politicians looking to come out on top in the federal elections following the dissolution of Harper's government. However, there is one voting bloc that many politicians appear to be overlooking: Small business.
One of the biggest issues that some feel politicians are ignoring has to do with Canadian credit card fees. According to the Globe and Mail, credit card fees are a huge problem for many small business:
Credit-card fees is also the No. 1 issue identified by small retailers, said Diane Brisebois, CEO of the Retail Council of Canada. ...
“That should be a rallying cry from all the parties,” she said. “We are hoping that government and all parties take this issue a lot more seriously in relation to the extreme negative impact it has on merchants. This is literally, in many cases, eliminating profit margins for small businesses, which means they can’t survive and they certainly can’t reinvest in their business or hire new employees.”
So far, only the NDP has issued a campaign pledge to cap credit card fees. However, the NDP is a third part -- without as much clout as the major parties. There is some hope, though, that the NDP can make enough of an issue of the impacts of credit card charges on small businesses and middle class families that other politicians will be forced to consider the issue.
Another group taking up the cause of small business and outrageous credit card fees is the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The CFIB has a public awareness campaign underway, which is pointing out that high credit card fees hit Canadian small businesses.
When you think that there are more than 1 million small businesses in Canada, and almost 2.7 million people who are self employed (according to the Globe and Mail), it doesn't make sense that politicians would ignore their needs. Perhaps it's time for politicians to find out what would be helpful to small business, and then help out.
This post was included in the Totally Money Carnival at Thousandaire.
