DALTON SALES TAX PENALIZES MINOR LEAGUE SPORTS: HUDAK
THUNDER BAY – Leader of the Official Opposition Tim Hudak (MPP Niagara West-Glanbrook) and Critic for Revenue and Government Accountability, Lisa MacLeod (MPP Nepean-Carleton) were outside the Fort William Gardens arena in Thunder Bay today to highlight the negative impact the Dalton Sales Tax or DST will have on minor league sports in the province.
Hudak and MacLeod called on Thunder Bay families to join them in the fight to stop the DST by signing a petition, available at www.daltonsalestax.com to show the McGuinty Liberals that families across the province oppose this massive tax grab.
QUOTES
“A tax hike on Tim Horton’s coffee is bad enough, but a hike on the cost of playing hockey is bordering on un-Canadian. But that’s what stands to happen should Dalton McGuinty unleash his latest tax grab on parents, who already sacrifice so much for their children to play minor hockey or other organized sports.”
-Tim Hudak, Leader of the Official Opposition
“When you consider the DST will also apply to the gasoline you use driving to and from the arena, the coffee and snack you buy during the game, and the internet service you use to check schedules and standings online, this tax grab will be simply unaffordable for many families,” MacLeod added. “And for some parents, these extra costs could make the difference between whether their child gets in the game or just sits at home.”
-Lisa MacLeod, MPP Nepean-Carleton and PC Critic for Revenue and Government Accountability
QUICK FACTS
- The DST is the merger of the PST and GST into one tax, which means the 8 per cent PST will be applied to a whole new range of goods and services previously not subject to PST, such as Internet, home heating oil and even a Tim Hortons coffee and donut.
- The 8 per cent sales tax hike will also affect recreational facility rental fees, such as those for ice rinks, baseball diamonds and soccer fields.
- For example, the Lake of the Woods Minor Hockey Association in Kenora, which represents 600 players, estimates the DST will cost them an additional $16,000 a year in ice rentals alone.
- Thousands of minor league sports associations across the province rent ice time or playing fields for several months and thousands of hours every season. Many, including those for minor hockey and figure skating, will have no choice but to pass the increased costs on to families through increased fees for registration and training clinics.
