The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce have put together a “Beyond 2020” business strategy blue print to help boost business in the province.
Part of the document includes 24 recommendations for governments to help with business in Saskatchewan, including a review of both the federal and provincial tax system, and starting a discussion on bringing the HST to Saskatchewan.
Sask Chamber CEO Steve McLellan said while there is room to improve the business climate, governments have allowed Saskatchewan to become a competitive business place.
“Our provincial government particularly has put us in a very solid position to compete, but we’re also cognizant that the world is changing,” McLellan said. “As the global trade landscape changes, so must we, and this will help us keep competitive.”
McLellan said these recommendations come after the changes in the United States.
“Many Saskatchewan companies have holdings in the U.S., (they) have operations there, we need to make sure that the place that they want to do business that’s the most competitive for them is right here in Saskatchewan,” McLellan said. “When the U.S.A. started to make the changes they did, we sat up and listened, and that was the trigger.”
Regina Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hopkins says one of the biggest problems facing the city’s economy is getting products to international market.
“We need to ensure we can get products to market, and there is certainly a group within this country that doesn’t see eye-to-eye with that and wants to ‘leave it in the ground,’” Hopkins said. “Our message is we need to ensure that we get products to market, create opportunities for people, create tax revenues for people so we can continue to have the quality of life that we do in Canada.”
The report also mentions a need to assist small and medium sized businesses, as 99.9% of Saskatchewan businesses fall into those categories.