Québec solidaire wants to cap fees charged to restaurants during deliveries at 20%
Posted February 26, 2023 2:24 pm.
Québec solidaire proposes on Sunday to limit to 20% the fees that platforms such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes can charge merchants.
“Currently, delivery platforms charge absolutely incredible percentages to restaurateurs,” says the solidarity manager for Economy and Finance, Haroun Bouazzi.
According to him, the restaurants “had a lot of trouble during the COVID” and are certainly not at the end of their sentences, while “there is a recession that is looming”.
The maximum of 20% had been applied during the pandemic, thanks to a bill tabled in March 2021 by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, André Lamontagne. The law, which ended with the lifting of the health emergency, only affected restaurants whose dining room was closed or whose opening hours were reduced because of the health measures.
Mr. Bouazzi is convinced that instituting such a measure on a permanent basis would either increase the profit margin of restaurateurs or lower the price paid by customers. “In both cases, it’s a good thing,” he thinks.
Québec solidaire launches this call the day after the publication of a survey by La Presse reporting prices beyond the maximum allowed and taxes collected illegally by delivery sites.
According to Mr. Bouazzi, these revelations represent only the tip of the iceberg, while “these are companies that operate illegally or in legal loopholes all the time”. He cites the stored data, working conditions and status of delivery people and “accounting sleight of hand” tricks to avoid paying taxes as examples of issues that should be legislated.
Minister Lamontagne’s office did not immediately respond to questions from The Canadian Press.
This report by La Presse Canadienne was first published in French and translated by CityNews
