Canadian Small Businesses Still Behind On CASL Compliance

58% of KBR voters in our July poll indicated that the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) will not affect their business or their clients.

Although CASL has been in effect for over a month, survey data from Constant Contact Inc. indicates that most Canadian small businesses are less than ready for the implications of CASL.

Largely, time and resources have been the constraint on making the necessary preparations and compliance adjustments for many small businesses. Despite the lengthy lead in time to prepare (the Act was announced in 2010), only 29% of businesses surveyed began preparations for CASL before July 1.

Much like the results of our KBR poll, the Constant Contact survey found that participants were fairly neutral or uncertain about how specifically CASL would impact their business; however, the majority believed that their profitability and customer reach would not suffer.

A simple online search of "CASL" will lead you to a plethora of information and resources to educate and help establish your business CASL plan. The private right of action comes into force on July 1, 2017, and provides some time to transition. However, take note of the potential monetary fines CASL violators can face: $1 million for individuals and $10 million for corporations. That should be incentive enough to make sure you become CASL compliant. As Joe pointed out in our KBR poll, “If someone shoots someone, the penalty is less.”

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Thank you to those who participated in our July poll. As we head into August, back-to-school is on our minds. So, our August poll asks “Should school supplies be tax deductible?” Let us know what you think and why.