Your Chamber asked for input from Chamber Members on Thursday, Nov 21 when the HST holiday was proposed but not yet passed and immediately called on the Ontario Chamber to release a statement. We called out the burden of the HST Tax Holiday on November 29 by adding our comments to that of the OCC’s statement in a post entitled “Good public policy should not come as a holiday surprise”. We have now called on governments of all levels to provide more significant relief for the burden this ‘tax holiday’ has put on many of our Chamber Members. Here is our updated release:

Chamber calls for small business relief from “trifecta of stressors”: it’s not too late to act

MUSKOKA, December 13: The Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce is calling on governments to come up with solutions for Muskoka businesses dealing with a “trifecta of unexpected stressors right now.”

“We’re looking for governments to come up with relief solutions to support businesses, so many of which depend on December holiday sales to get them through the winter,” says Norah Fountain, Executive Director, Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce. “If people put their heads together now, a relief measure could be implemented early in the new year. It’s not too late to make up for the role they’ve played in creating some of this stress.”

Here Fountain breaks down this trifecta of stressors: the Holiday HST Tax Break, the Canada Post strike, and the Extreme Snow Event):

1) The holiday HST Tax Break starts December 14 and while helpful for some, it adds costs, confusion and stress for businesses (and confusion for consumers, too.)

“This ‘break’ puts the burden of making that tax break happen right on the backs of small business owners,” says Fountain. “Business owners are doing the work to make this government-imposed tax break happen. Now it’s time for the governments to do some work to help ease the pain from their efforts. It’s the least they could do.” Fountain suggests the province and federal governments might consider a one-time relief grant to help offset the costs of small businesses changing prices. “It’s one thing for big companies that change prices on product skus all the time, but for mom -and-pop shops to do it, and have to educate customers on why HST on this item but not on that: it’s asking a lot. And don’t get me started on the decision to change everything back before February 15 as our small businesses deal with Valentine’s Day sales on February 14. It’s like no one ever thought about how this might affect business. They certainly never consulted with any that I know of.”  Fountain says the Chamber will request our local MP and MPP look at raising the need for solutions, especially for areas like ours hard hit by snow on top of everything else. “This is not a partisan issue,” she adds. “We know the federal Conservatives voted against the HST break but it wasn’t that long ago that their former leader Erin O’Toole came up with the same idea with the same lack of regard for the consequences (but that time it was voted down). We know some like the HST tax break and all we’re asking is that those unintended consequences be looked at seriously and some relief provided for businesses dealing with those issues.” As our partner the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has said, “Good public policy should not come as a holiday surprise. Good economic policy requires partnership and predictability.”

She adds, we feel for businesses who are just now asking if anything can be done about this tax break or what Chambers have done about it. “The Chamber asked for input and shared concerns about the tax break the moment it was proposed, but it became a speeding train that couldn’t be stopped, especially with both the federal and provincial governments jumping on board. Both the federal and provincial portion of the HST has been removed from December 14, 2024 to February 15, 2025.

2) The Canada Post strike. Our Chamber is neutral on the strike – we take no sides on the labour issue – but we’ve worked hard to help small businesses go on line and now the strike has taken a huge chunk of that business away, says Fountain, who implores people to shop local and shop in person. Many small businesses have set up their online shops to ship through Canada Post. Visit them and call them to arrange pick up or learn how you best support them.

3) And more snow. The extra stress of having mounds of snow in front of your storefront, of digging out and maybe not even being able to open has added strain for everyone. Call ahead if you’re unsure if your favourite store is open. They probably are (if they’re not stuck somewhere): you just can’t see the open sign over the snow.

What we can all do to help now. Shop Local, Think Local, and please be extra kind and patient.

How can Chambers, business associations and consumers help our Muskoka businesses right now? “First, we can recognize and empathize with the incredible pressures on our businesses. Second, as we are all consumers, we can be extra patient with retailers and others dealing with HST on some items and not on others. We can all educate ourselves on what products are eligible and what’s not (instead of challenging the person at checkout). Here’s a link to the list of products affected. And please, let your feet do the shopping. There’s still time to do your holiday shopping in person. Shop local, be patient, and press your MP and MPP to look at relief measures for one difficult December shopping season.

Photo: Piled up snow in Gravenhurst symbolizes the burden small businesses are feeling this month. Photo by Norah Fountain

 

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