MPP Arnott urges Government to extend tax exemption to include children’s booster seats

Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted Arnott is continuing to ask the Government to exempt booster seats for children travelling in motor vehicles from the 8 per cent provincial sales tax. He raised the idea during Question Period in the Ontario Legislature on May 17th, 2004.

In his question to the Acting Premier and Health Minister, George Smitherman, Mr. Arnott asked how the Government could justify forcing tens of thousands of parents to buy booster seats for their older children but deny them a retail sales tax exemption that is available for younger children.

“This is a constructive idea that the Minister evaded or possibly misunderstood judging from his answer that he could not address matters related to the budget,” Mr. Arnott later said.

“My question didn’t make reference to the budget. I did explain that my Bill 77 would amend the Retail Sales Tax Act to simply extend the existing exemption for car seats from the 8 per cent sales tax to include booster seats. Still he didn’t appear to see any merit in addressing this concern for parents,” he added. Mr. Arnott tabled his Bill 77 in the Legislature on May 6th, 2004.

The Government recently announced that children’s booster seats will be mandatory for children travelling in motor vehicles who are between 40 and 80 pounds, who are under 4 feet 10 inches tall, up to a maximum age of eight. “We all support the principle of enhanced road safety, especially as it helps to protect children,” Mr. Arnott told the House.

“Making booster seats mandatory and failing to extend the sales tax exemption is effectively creating a new tax on families,” he declared.