Red Tape Reduction's efforts in film featured on SABC News - News | Red Tape Reduction

Red Tape Reduction's efforts in film featured on SABC News

12 March 2020

https://www.facebook.com/SABCNewsWesternCape/posts/2989020481150316

“Film companies and producers based in Cape Town are hoping government will further improve ways of doing business with small and medium enterprises. They say a unit established by the Western Cape government has made it easier to do international business, but experts say more needs to be done to stimulate growth. The Redtape Reduction Unit has saved the provincial economy over R1-billion by assisting businesses to gain necessary access where needed.

Cape Town is fast becoming an increasingly popular destination for international film shoots. However, for companies that have to facilitate such productions, bureaucracy can be a major stumbling block, but with the assistance of the Red Tape Reduction Unit, stumbling blocks are removed. Chris Zuidema of the Film Industry Environmental and Logistics Expert says, "It completely mitigates weeks of emails and standing in queues and bouncing from, basically playing bureaucratic ping-pong, from the one desk to the next desk and you never have an answer. Now you can make contact with the unit and they will put you directly in touch with the right person and get the ball rolling."

According to the Cape Chamber of Commerce, 2019 was an exceptionally difficult economic year. Establishing or assisting small and medium businesses is crucial, but red tape remains stifling. Sid Peimer of the Cape Chamber of Commerce says, "Entrepreneurial activity is very important for any economy and I think you know once you make entrepreneurial activity difficult, that's not where you want to go if you want to grow GDP."

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