Why We Need Better Forms
Forms are important tools, both for the government and for the people and businesses we serve. Forms are also a challenge—for us and for the people we serve. That is why the Better Regulation Initiative has launched Better Forms for Better Regulation. Better Forms has three main goals:
- improve the quality, consistency, and user-friendliness of provincial government forms
- make forms easier and faster to find and complete
- reduce the number of forms businesses must complete
Making forms consistent and easier to find, read, understand, and complete will lead to many benefits:
- Fewer forms will be returned with missing or incorrect information. This saves staff time spent following up to get the necessary information. It also helps ensure that the form is processed within the expected service standard, so clients are satisfied and businesses are able to operate efficiently.
- Businesses will spend less time on paperwork, enabling them to be more productive and competitive.
- Citizens and businesses will comply more readily with regulations.
- Introducing common standards for forms will create a more consistent and professional image of the government, while making individual forms easier to identify.
Improving forms is good for businesses, good for citizens, and good for government employees.