The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Board Chair, Paul Provost; MCC President & CEO Chuck Davidson, and Director of Policy, Elisabeth Saftiuk, were pleased to meet with Finance Minister Cameron Friesen last week at the Manitoba Legislative Building.
We appreciated the opportunity to share MCC’s pre-budget submission in which we’ve asked the provincial government to undertake a full review of Manitoba’s tax structure (both personal and corporate). According to the 2021 Manitoba Business Outlook Survey, 42% of businesses say that reducing or eliminating payroll tax should be a top priority in supporting Manitoba businesses.
We also discussed pandemic recovery and the workforce challenges that Manitoba businesses are facing. While optimism has increased considerably over last year and pandemic restrictions have now been lifted, Manitoba businesses continue to be impacted by COVID-19. Furthermore, workforce is the most considerable issue facing our business community with 1 in 2 businesses telling us that access to skilled labour has worsened over the last few years.
We look forward to continuing open dialogue with the finance minister as MCC advocates on behalf of Manitoba’s business community.
