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I don't see any real issues here. You have to register your business in Quebec and go through the procedures just like anywhere else. Look out your window and you will see tons of businesses that have registed in Quebec. There are hundreds of thousands if not millions and most seem to have survived.
As for language, you don`t have to prove anything. The Quebec government will deal with your business in French just as you would deal in German in Berlin, English in Iowa or French in Geneva. You are required to be able to serve customers in French but common sense rather than the law should tell you this is probably a good idea given where you are. The only case where you would run into problems is if you were stupid and ended up with complaints you did not serve customers in French, or if you did something like force your employees to use only English on the job and one of them made a complaint.
Taxes have no direct bearing on the gross salaries people get paid. So they don't have a ''cap'' effect on how much people get paid. Of course, they do have an effect on your take-home pay after taxes.
Of course, taxes are not the only thing you pay. For example, the exorbitant cost of housing in Vancouver makes it a much more expensive place to live than anywhere in Quebec - even if you include taxes. You would have to make quite a bit more money in Vancouver in order to enjoy a similar type of lifestyle to what you could have in Quebec with a lot less money.
You seem to be preoccupied with 100k, but 100k doesn't take you as far in some places as it does in others. A 100k salary in Switzerland for example is probably equivalent to a 65k salary in Quebec and a 50k salary in Texas, simply because of cost of living variations.
Hello Acajack, Thank you for this information on taxes. It does make sense.
I think what i am looking more for information is in the environment for business.
I know the cost of living in a city is a factor to take in account but i should be fine there. in fact, i went from living in a country in Africa where the living expenses for a month were roughly $100 for the average person to living in Paris for 2 years were the living expenses were about $1000-$2000 a month or more for the average person. Also i lived in New York City for a year were the living cost is quite expensive and i was fine.
What i am looking for is which environment of those two cities is better suited for business.
I could have stayed in Africa where the living cost is way low but poor access to education or water or electricity make it a poor environment to prosper.
I take high cost of living as part of the equation, as part of the game.
By environment better suited for businesses: i mean grants, taxes, business associations, help from the province towards businesses.
I have been living here in Quebec for about 6 months and one thing i am not particularly fond of is all the red tape and bureaucracy that i encounter for little day to day things. and i fear that is the same for businesses ( which in my humble opinion is NOT a good thing). I am doing comparison with the United States where i spent my last 6 years.
I don t know if the bureaucracy thing is related to all of Canada or only to Quebec. I was just checking what needed to be done to register a business in Quebec it seems that one must register a business number (BN) from the federal government and a NEQ (numero d entreprise du Quebec) through the quebec government. But i think all of this can be dealt with if a proper prosperous environment is in place.
True, i do see businesses and shops that are opened but i don t know what percentage they represent. If they only represent (let s say) 1% (or any small number) of the revenue of the province i think that s not a good sign. This could be a sign of difficulty of starting a business and other things
It would be good to have statistics here. that is why i am doing some research.
One other thing is most of the people i encounter seem to only want to work for someone. haven t really came across someone who told me that he wants to start a business or is running one so far. (probably my environment) but when doing a comparison with the US ( don t know if i really should but i use it as my standard for now) 3 if not more out of 10 people were either running a business on the side or starting one.
it would be way easier for me to start a business in Montreal since i am in Quebec City as of now compared to crossing the whole country and ending up in Vancouver. but i tend to put a bigger emphasis on the environment where the business will be growing.
You seem to be preoccupied with 100k, but 100k doesn't take you as far in some places as it does in others. A 100k salary in Switzerland for example is probably equivalent to a 65k salary in Quebec and a 50k salary in Texas, simply because of cost of living variations.
I seem to focus on 100K because it seems a good income for a single person living in Canada or in the United States.
I think 100K provides a decent living if not above average living for a single person even after taxes in Canada or in the United States.
that is if the person knows how to manage his money... some lawyers and doctors earning 300k end up broke because they overextend themselves and over spend.
Also 100k is only given as a figurative number but i think it is a good one.
I have been living here in Quebec for about 6 months and one thing i am not particularly fond of is all the red tape and bureaucracy that i encounter for little day to day things. and i fear that is the same for businesses ( which in my humble opinion is NOT a good thing). I am doing comparison with the United States where i spent my last 6 years.
I don t know if the bureaucracy thing is related to all of Canada or only to Quebec. I was just checking what needed to be done to register a business in Quebec it seems that one must register a business number (BN) from the federal government and a NEQ (numero d entreprise du Quebec) through the quebec government. But i think all of this can be dealt with if a proper prosperous environment is in place.
....
I can think that Canada overall is probably more bureaucratic than the U.S., and Quebec is one of the more bureaucratic provinces in Canada I'd say.
That said, I don't think having to register in two places (federal and provincial) is unique to Quebec. Even if you register federally, you'd have to register provincially in BC, Ontario as well, if you want to be based or operate in those provinces.
True, i do see businesses and shops that are opened but i don t know what percentage they represent. If they only represent (let s say) 1% (or any small number) of the revenue of the province i think that s not a good sign. This could be a sign of difficulty of starting a business and other things
.
There have been quite a few articles lately on Quebecers being a bit less entrepreneurial than other Canadians. If this is true, it is probably more for cultural reasons than anything related to government complications related to starting a business here.
Most Quebecers are extremely preoccupied with work-life balance, and are less work-work-work than other North Americans. In this sense, they are a bit more like people in many European countries.
Public opinion polls shows Quebecers' priorities are "envoying life to the fullest", whereas other Canadians lean more towards "doing one's duty".
Over the years, more than one Quebecer has told me: "Le travail n'est pas une fin en soi, mais un simple moyen pour faire/obtenir les trucs qui me plaisent".
In any event, for an aspiring entrepreneur, the fact that Quebecers are slightly less entrepreneurial may provide some unexploited opportunities that no one has yet taken advantage of. Think of it that way.
I can think that Canada overall is probably more bureaucratic than the U.S., and Quebec is one of the more bureaucratic provinces in Canada I'd say.
Come to think about it, that would make a lot of sense, and explain a lot of things i came to encounter.
Quote:
That said, I don't think having to register in two places (federal and provincial) is unique to Quebec. Even if you register federally, you'd have to register provincially in BC, Ontario as well, if you want to be based or operate in those provinces.
It did not come to my mind that i would have to register provincially in provinces other than Quebec. I have to look into that. Thanks for pointing this out.
There have been quite a few articles lately on Quebecers being a bit less entrepreneurial than other Canadians. If this is true, it is probably more for cultural reasons than anything related to government complications related to starting a business here.
Most Quebecers are extremely preoccupied with work-life balance, and are less work-work-work than other North Americans. In this sense, they are a bit more like people in many European countries.
Public opinion polls shows Quebecers' priorities are "envoying life to the fullest", whereas other Canadians lean more towards "doing one's duty".
Over the years, more than one Quebecer has told me: "Le travail n'est pas une fin en soi, mais un simple moyen pour faire/obtenir les trucs qui me plaisent".
Ahh I see, i thought it was related to the government. But i can dfntly see the cultural thing play out. I was in shock when i moved here and learned that Malls and stores closed at 5pm; and other offices closing between noon and 1pm for lunch (when i arrived i was like don t they have a rotation thing going ) lol
It seems that you ve been here in Quebec for a while and know well the province and its history. Is there any reason behind the closing time being set at 5pm?
Quote:
In any event, for an aspiring entrepreneur, the fact that Quebecers are slightly less entrepreneurial may provide some unexploited opportunities that no one has yet taken advantage of. Think of it that way.
Yes i always said that to my friends that problems are actually opportunities. just taking the example of the 5pm closing time, if you can offer a good product or service and be open longer than other stores, you ll dfntly be enjoying more wealth as a result.
So i just stumbled on those two articles.
the first one is from the Montreal Economic Institutes. Basically what they are saying is that Quebec as of today is not a good place for entrepreneurship because of the culture of Quebecers towards work, and also taxes and regulations.
Quote from the text
"As a fundamentally risk-taking activity, entrepreneurship can flourish only in a context where risk-taking is valued, encouraged and rewarded. By increasing tax and regulatory burdens, governments create an environment where risk is increased, where achieving results becomes harder, and
where rewards are less certain. This deters entrepreneurial activity."
Here is another link from CBC Canada discussing what we said about the Quebecers and wealth creation.
Quebec gets C for entrepreneurship - Quebecers less interested in wealth creation, employers group says.
I would have to carefully look into what type of regulations apply to my industry. I think that regulations change according to your industry.
But what is highlighted in those articles confirms the feeling i had about the Province and what i feared.
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