P a g e | 141 Several respondents complained about the rate of tax increases being too high. Interestingly, several felt that the City itself needs to do more to source its needs from local suppliers rather than from outside the community, while elsewhere in the survey the same respondents said that they themselves order from outside the area themselves largely from necessity or cost savings.
12.1.2 Question: In terms of sales, what are the main services / products that you provide / manufacture or plan to provide / manufacture? Respondents offered a very wide array of products and services. The most common products and services among those responding involved the building and selling of homes. 12.1.3 Question: Please list the major supplies, materials and services that your company purchases outside of the Red Deer Region, which are not available for purchase in the region. Respondents largely purchased manufactured goods from outside the region, but contracted services locally. 12.1.4 Question: Which of these goods and services (that your company purchases from outside the region) would you prefer to purchase locally? Respondents largely stated that what they purchase from outside the region cannot be sourced locally, but intimated that even if local alternatives were available, they would still purchase the lowest cost option irrespective of origin. 12.1.5 Question: What current issues or trends are having a significant impact on your business or industry? Respondents generally cited one of three major trends significantly impacting their businesses. The first and foremost was the lack of appropriately skilled labour. Next were the effects of the price of oil and other commodities. Also included was the apparently high cost of office and commercial space.