November 24, 2024

The Queens County Citizen

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Girard Budget: Restaurateurs hope not to ask for more

Girard Budget: Restaurateurs hope not to ask for more

A few days before Finance Minister Eric Girard presents the budget, restaurants are hoping to get something to eat.

In an interview with LCN, the vice-president of public and government affairs at the Association Restaurante Quebec emphasized that restaurant owners must pay tips, which results in significant costs.

So Martin Vezina sent a message and said tax credits for tipping should be increased “from 75 to 100%”.

“We are asking that this tax credit be at 100% of eligible expenses as it is the customers who decide and tips have increased significantly in the last year,” he said.

The economic downturn also prompted restaurants to seek relief from the business tax deduction on meal expenses.

LCN

“These deductions mean that only 50% of expenses are recorded on the tax return,” Vezina explains. We believe there is a certain injustice. A large company that pays for a kitchen with a chef can deduct all of its costs, but (…) SMEs that want to promote employee retention and prepare meals can only deduct 50% of that bill.

“We are asking why the entire bill should not be removed. For us, this is a win. This creates more traffic and an incentive for businesses to come and dine more or dine at the restaurant.

Automate kitchens

Finally, with the ongoing labor shortage in many areas, Martin Vezina believes that financing automation is a solution.

“We need a financing program to give us intelligence and control orders.

“With COVID-19 and health restrictions, our members' savings are very low. So we cannot talk about investment. If we can help through the financial assistance program, we can think about automating our kitchens better and need less manpower to reach the full operations of the restaurant.

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