Speak directly with Minister Stephanie McLean on consumer protection📅 September 8, 2017 🕒 8:30 am – 10:00 am 📍 Calgary Chamber Recently, the Alberta Government announced their intention to make changes to the province's consumer protection laws. They are looking to deal with questions around some fairly specific areas:
We will be hosting Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean to provide feedback to her directly. There are limited spaces available for Chamber members, but if you are interested in attending, please register below. We will follow up to confirm your attendance. Give your inputFederal tax reform may hurt your businessThe federal government recently announced some of the most sweeping changes to business tax laws seen in 50 years. The proposed changes target common tax management practices, such as sharing income with family members, saving passive investment income in a corporation, and converting a corporation’s income into capital gains rather than dividends. The government is framing these practices as tax evasion or loopholes. They suggested some – specifically the "very wealthy or the highest income earners" are using private corporations to avoid "paying their fair share." Calgary businesses believe the consultation period needs to be extended, and that these changes will punish legitimate small businesses. ListenAdam Legge: Downtown vacancy, property taxes and the upcoming municipal electionIf you picture downtown, imagine more than one in four office buildings are now completely empty. That's what a 25% vacancy rate looks like. This has led to a shortfall in City revenue, resulting in higher property tax bills for many businesses outside of the downtown core—yet another cost being stacked on the business community. On Friday, August 25, Chamber President and CEO, Adam Legge, joined the Calgary Herald's Confluence podcast to discuss some of the key business issues surrounding the vacancy rate as Calgary heads into the upcoming Municipal Election. Dive deeperPutting your voice first in the 2018 federal budget submissionOn August 4, 2017, we submitted your recommendations for the 2018 federal budget. This year, the government requested feedback on the theme of productivity and competitiveness. After consulting with you, our members, we gave recommendations in the following four areas that will impact business productivity and competitiveness:
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