Home improvement companies say they want to crack down on undeclared work, but they don’t want Revenu Québec to impose its new billing system on their $41 billion industry.
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“Revenu Québec wants to facilitate tax compliance in the home renovation sector,” Mylène Gagnon, spokesperson for the organization, told the Journal.
To make that happen, Revenu Québec will be consulting with entrepreneurs next month to hear their concerns about “mandatory invoicing.”
But after two advisory panels with industry representatives, we can at least say that the industry is not enthusiastic about the idea.
“Undeclared work is hurting the industry and we need to find solutions to curb it, but we don’t see how a sales registration module (SRM) will help,” laments David Dinelle, communications director for the Quebec Association of Construction and Housing Professionals (APCHQ).
“This is currently not the best way to fight undeclared work,” he emphasizes.
In his opinion, this new system would not improve invoicing, but would only add a layer of bureaucratic cumbersomeness for honest entrepreneurs.
More inspectors!
Le Journal has met entrepreneurs in recent days who are in favor of implementing the MEV, but most are against it.
“There is a system that already oversees construction: the Régie du Bâtiment (RBQ),” noted Colin Beauséjour, owner of the eponymous company.
For the 29-year-old entrepreneur, whom he met at the exit of a home depot in Longueuil, undeclared work needs to be tackled, but things are going badly in Quebec.
“The RBQ should have a lot more inspectors on site, a lot more than an electronic system,” he believes.
According to him, this new billing system risks penalizing entrepreneurs like him in their business. “How much more will it cost us?” he asked himself aloud.
“The salary of a carpenter who works 40 hours a week and makes about $800 costs me between $2,400 and $2,600. I pay the Commission de la Construction du Québec (CCQ), the CNESST, the RBQ, the pension funds,” he lists.
The invoice is passed on to the customer
For the young entrepreneur, the costs of the MEV, which are added to those for registration, insurance, labor and material costs, are passed on to the customers.
“I understand there are a lot of people who go on the black because they don’t want to get tangled up. There are very bad ones, but there are also good ones that just don’t want that machine back,” he concluded.
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