School authorities (ie school boards) are funded through taxpayer dollars. Currently, our federal government collects GST on all goods and services purchased by school authorities, and then refunds only 68% of the amount collected. The remaining 32% is a tax on a tax.
In recognizing this situation, a petition has been launched to amend the Excise Tax Act (School Authorities) and call upon the House of Commons to support Bill C-241, which seeks to have the full 100% of GST collected by Canada Revenue Agency refunded to school authorities.
To sign this petition, click here. If you have issues signing this petition online – please contact your local MP, since this is a federal petition.
While this issue is slightly beyond the scope of the Fix Our Schools campaign, which is focused on addressing the $15-billion of outstanding repairs in Ontario’s publicly funded schools, we believe that every dollar going back to school boards to benefit students is a good thing! And so, in this spirit, encourage you to sign this petition.