Elliot Sims

Tuesday's federal budget received an "A" from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Manitoba Provincial Affairs Director Elliot Sims says that was based on several business-friendly policies.

"The chief one being the drop in the small business tax rate, from 11 to 9 per cent by 2019. That's something that CFIB has been asking for for the last number of years, and the feds have promised that it was coming once the budget was balanced, so we're very happy to see the federal government keep its word on that."

Sims sees this budget as good for the whole country.

"If small businesses are confident in the economy and in the direction that the governments are going with their policies, they'll have more courage and be more likely to expand their businesses. That means more jobs are created for Manitobans, and all Canadians, and in the end, everybody prospers from the additional economic activity."

He adds there are a lot of positives in the budget.

"There's the small business tax rate cut, which will save small businesses over a billion dollars a year when it's fully implemented in 2019. There's also the small business job credit, which is a change to the EI system that will see the smallest of businesses save another 500 million dollars a year for the next two years. This is on top of the increases to the lifetime capital gains exemption for farmers and fishers."