By Staff
November 29, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Liberals’ GST holiday bill is one step closer to becoming law after it was passed by a majority of the House of Commons late Thursday night.
The two-month tax break covers dozens of items, including children’s clothes and toys, video games and consoles, Christmas trees, restaurant and catered meals, wine, beer, candy and snacks.
It would take effect on December 14 and run until February 15, 2025, once it has been given Royal Ascent.
The government announced the plan as a way to ease affordability concerns during the holiday period. At the time, they also pledged to send $250 rebates to working Canadians in the spring, but that particular measure was not included in the bill.
The legislation to enact the tax break was the first bill passed through the House of Commons since late September, and required some procedural wrangling from the Liberals and the NDP to curtail the usual debate.
For more than two months, government business in the House has been on pause as the Conservatives filibuster a privilege motion related to misspending at a now-defunct green technology fund.
That debate, which has taken precedence over nearly all other House business, was paused in order to proceed with voting on the GST bill on Thursday.
Ontario to follow suit.
Ontario says Ottawa’s tax holiday will cost the province $1 billion, but it will support the GST break for consumers.
In provinces like Ontario, where the provincial and federal sales taxes are blended together into a harmonized sales tax, the entire HST would be removed from such items.
The office of Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy confirms it will remove the provincial sales tax on items not already covered under provincial rebate.
This amounts to a 13% reduction on what you would pay at the cash register.
Many of the smaller retail organizations are going to have to scramble to update the software on their cash registers
A morally corrupt scheme by the dear leader to buy votes by offering TEMPORARY and insignificant tax relief to individuals which will add another $6 billion to Canada’s debt…to be paid by our children with interest. And all while he will be raising the carbon tax PERMANENTLY in the spring. He must think very lowly of Canadian’s intelligence. And worse, it all seems to be an attempt to cast Poilievre as the villain for holding up the parliament (and this ridiculous gimmick) pending answers to corruption allegations that the liberals could easily resolve by passing over the documents requested. One would think these documents would / should clear the allegations against the liberals and in any case are required by parliamentary law. Once again, this government escapes scrutiny by deceptive means, without regard to the actual consequences. Canadian’s aren’t fooled …where there is smoke there is always fire, even or especially with the liberals.
It’s one thing to pass a law and quite another to make it happen. In this case, Liberals dump a fundamental change on every sales transaction, on a temporary basis no less, and hope the retailers can figure out how, with only a month’s lead time. Then spend years to sort out the inevitable damages to good people and abuses by others.
Next, will be a “sorry not sorry” mea culpa straight from the Wynne playbook.
If you can afford to blow $10,000 between Dec 14 and Feb 14, you will save a whopping $1300.00 unless businesses increase prices by the same amount during that time. Why would they do that, to try to make up for what they lost being forced to stay closed longer than needed during Covid 19.
Another pathetic move by the failing Liberals to cling to power when most Canadians are fed up with this open tap on our taxes.
A complete cluster. A disaster in the making for both consumers and retailers.
A flailing, desperate attempt to buy votes before this current government lands on the scrap pile.