SMART REGULATIONS AT WORK IN BC Egovernment BC Initiative: OneStop Business Registry

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SMART REGULATIONS AT WORK IN BC E-government
BC Initiative OneStop Business Registry

• Presentation to March 16, 2005 Conference

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Regulatory Context

• OneStop applies itself, in part, to
  administrative regulations paperwork and
  administrative formalities - the so-called
  red-tape
• Reform is aimed at eliminating those regulations
  no longer needed, streamlining and simplifying
  those that are and improving the transparency of
  application

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Business Problems Addressed

• Time and money spent complying
• Complex registration requirements
• Cumulative burdens of independent public
  agencies
• Restricted public agency hours

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Our Solution

• Public agency partnership
• 2. The federal Business Number (BN) as a common
  identifier

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Our Solution

• 3. Internet Business Registration and Business
  Address Change services for entrepreneurs

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Our Solution

• 4. A BC BN Hub and a BNI (Business Number Index)
  to
• Facilitate creation of BNs and updates to BN
  information
• Serve as repository of basic information about BC
  businesses with BNs
• Provide partner access to BNI data and use of BC
  BN Hub

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Our SolutionPublic Agency Partnership

• Spans 3 levels of government
• Business Number (9 partners)
• Business Registration (77 partners)
• Business Address Change (76 partners)
• Kiosk (Delivery) Locations (102 partners)
• Other public and private sector partners help to
  facilitate the services

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Our SolutionThe Business Number (BN)

• The BC OneStop partnership has adopted the
  federal Business Number assigned by Canada
  Revenue Agency (CRA) as a single identifier
• The BN makes it simpler, easier and more
  convenient for business to interact with the
  public sector AND for public sector agencies to
  interact among and between ourselves.

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Our Solution - BN

• Program account consisting of
• 9 digit Business Number assigned to the business
• 123456789 OSBR Inc.
• 2 letters identify the type of program
• 123456789 BT BC Tax (i.e. Social Service
  Tax and Hotel Room Tax)
• 4 digit numbers identify a specific account
• 123456789 BT 0001 1st BT account
• 123456789 BT 0001
• All digits and letters are assigned by CRA

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Who has a BN?

• Business entities will have a
• Business Number IF they are
• earning more than 30,000 OR
• selling taxable goods OR
• employing workers OR
• they are incorporated.

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Who has a BN in BC?

• 99 of incorporations
• 371,626 sole proprietorships
• 82,200 general partnerships
• Now issued on incorporation in BC
• Proposed to be issued on registration of sole
  proprietorships and general partnerships

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Our SolutionBusiness Registration

• Enables completion of up to
• 10 registrations/applications with
• public agencies.

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Our SolutionBusiness Registration
BC Corporate Registry (MFIN) Proprietorship
Registration Partnership Registration Incorporatio
n
Workers Compensation Board of BC Employers
Registration Personal Optional Protection
Ministry of Provincial Revenue Provincial Sales
Tax Hotel Room Tax
Canada Revenue Agency GST/HST Payroll
deductions Corporate income tax Import/export
Participating Municipalities Municipal Business
Licence
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Our SolutionBusiness Address Change

• Enables corporation to notify multiple public
  sector agencies of an address change in one step.
• At present, can only completed by companies who
  also have a BCelD

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Our SolutionBusiness Address Change
Canada Revenue Agency GST/HST
Corporate Income Tax Import/Export Payroll
Deductions
Industry Canada Corporations Canada Canadian
Company Capabilities Database
Ministry of Provincial Revenue PST Hotel Room
Tax International Fuel Tax and others
Workers Compensation Board of BC Assessment
Department
Participating Municipalities
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BC BN Hub and BNI in Context
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Business BenefitsAccessibility

• 21/6 access to integrated on-line service (14
  hours/ Sunday)
• Requirements communicated many ways
• Bundling of services
• Multiple channel service
• delivery
• Done from home or office

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Public Sector Customer Benefits Timeliness

• Some instant registrations
• Average time online business registration 27
  min.
• Average time online business address change 10
  min.
• Access from home or office

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Business Benefits Service Quality

• Online payment
• No signature required
• Links to other agencies
• Time to complete steps indicated
• Helps to determine business requirements
• Reduced mistakes and processing delays

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Public Sector Customer Benefits New Ways of
Delivering Services

• Multi-jurisdictional partnership
• Single window to integrated services
• Multi-channel access
• More efficient procedures for repetitive
  transactions

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Is It Working?Business Organization Comments
Business owners are keen to conform regulations,
but they would like some help to do so, in the
form of removal of duplication of forms and
application procedure across different agencies
and levels of government. John Winter,
President, BC Chamber of Commerce
Just as retailers are constantly striving for
new efficiencies in their desire to improve
customer service, it is refreshing to see
government attempting to implement a similar
disciple and approach. Kevin Evans,
Vice-President Western Canada, Retail Council of
Canada
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Is It Working? Entrepreneur Comments
"Sigh of relief. Had settled in for the night to
complete what I believed would be an arduous
procedure - one hour later - done! I would not
have believed it possible. Bravo."
"We are located in Ontario expanding to BC.
This service was very convenient to be able to
register electronically from a distance."
"Even though I consider myself a novice with
computers, I found this service straight forward
quite easy to understand. Thank you very much
for providing an internet service that actually
makes sense."
"Very easy to use understand. It was great to
have everything in one place be able to
register for everything at one time. Thanks."
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Is It Working?
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Is It Working?
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Is It Working? Public Agency Comments
This integrated online service is an excellent
example of how federal, provincial and municipal
partners are working together to create a more
streamlined business environment in BC. John
McCallum, National Revenue Minister
The WCB is committed to serve our customers
better. That's why the WCB is a long-standing
partner of the OneStop initiative. It is one of
the many tools we are using to achieve a more
customer-focused organization. Dave Anderson,
CEO, Workers Compensation Board of BC
We know business owners want to concentrate on
growing their business, not filling out forms and
sending the same information to several levels of
government. Rick Thorpe, BC Minister of
Provincial Revenue
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Public Sector Benefits Cost Savings

• Reduced paper work
• Reduced administrative time
• Improved staff productivity
• Reduced rework for incomplete/ invalid
  registrations
• Reduced FTEs

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Public Sector Benefits Efficiencies

• Eliminated data duplication and processes
• Increased accuracy
• Help educating the business community about your
  services

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Public Sector BenefitsCompliance

• Decreased voluntary non-compliance
• Decreased involuntary non-compliance

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Public Sector BenefitsAccurate Up-to-Date
Information

• About businesses

• Name Changes
• Address Changes
• Status Changes
• Corporate Data Changes
• Amalgamations

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Is It Working?Awards

• Business Number
• Gold winner of the 2005 CGR e-awards for
  Inter-jurisdictional Leadership
• Winner of the 2004 British Columbia Public Sector
  Information Technology Award for
  Multi-Jurisdictional Projects
• Business Registration
• Winner of the 2002 Strategies for Public Service
  Transformations Information Technology Awards for
  Excellence in Electronic Service Delivery
• Winner of the 2000 BC Public Service Silver Award
  for Process Improvement, Vancouver Island Region
• Winner of the 1999 Strategies for Public Service
  Transformations Information Technology Award for
  Cross Agencies Jurisdictional Projects

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Public Agency Solution Levels

• Subscribe to information updates from the Hub
• Search the BNI
• Subscribe to business address change service
• Completely Integrated Registrations
• Simple or Complex Link to Your Website

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Costs

• One-time costs function of
• Degree of integration
• Existing infrastructure
• Number of accounts needing conversion
• Integrity of existing data
• In-house IT expertise
• Business processes
• One-time costs can be capitalized
• Annual investment of staff time

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Issues Privacy

• Express consent for sharing
• Business information

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Issues Other

• Wide-spread adoption of BN in BC
• Authentication
• Integration
• IT costs
• Streamline processes more
• Market penetration / critical mass
• Sustainable funding model

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Performance Management

• Service Plan
• Qualitative and quantitative performance measures
  
• Every action linked to staff member EPDP
• All partners interviewed in preparation of plan
• Auditor General Service Plan recommendations
  reviewed when preparing plan
• Accessible to public through bcbusinessregistry.ca

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Performance Management

• Partnership Board sets policy
• Partnership Advisory Council provides input on
  technical and operational matters

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FY 2005/06 Strategic Context

• Continue to expand one-stop permitting and
  licensing in key sectors
• Expand public access to government through
  innovative and integrated e-government
  initiatives
• Identify and implement more effective ways to
  deliver services
• Increase voluntary compliance of revenues owed to
  government

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Current New Partnership Development

• BN Partner Expansion 2005
• LCLB
• LDB
• BCelD
• CPPR / Partnerships and Proprietorships

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Contact Us

• Mike Kelley
• Director
• Tel. [phone]
• E-mail Mike.Kelley_at_gems3.gov.bc.ca
• Patrick Deakin
• Manager, Partnership Policy Development
• Tel. [phone]
• E-mail Patrick.Deakin_at_gems5.gov.bc.ca
• Patty Ballam
• Manager, Business and Technical Operations
• Tel. [phone]
• E-mail Patty.Ballam_at_gems3.gov.bc.ca