Ottawa – The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence today showed his support for our Veterans and local Legion Branches in advance of Remembrance Day by announcing the Conservative Government will provide a 100% rebate of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) the Royal Canadian Legion pays when they buy their poppies and wreaths from private sector suppliers.
“Our Government is pleased to provide this tax relief to support the Remembrance Day Poppy Campaign” said MP Laurie Hawn. “This action recognizes the special status of both poppies and wreaths, as an important symbol for the courage, and sacrifice, shown by the brave men and women who served, or are proudly serving in Canada’s Armed Forces”
This change restores the tax relief that essentially existed for poppies and wreaths until the previous government removed it in 1996. With the proposed rebate, Remembrance Day poppies and wreaths will be fully GST free.
“The ‘poppy tax’ meant a portion of the donations that Canadians made every year on Remembrance Day did not benefit the Legion or support our Veterans” said MP Hawn, “That was the wrong decision to make in 1996, and I am glad our Government is restoring this tax relief and helping our veterans in this small way.”
The proposed rebate would be retroactive to January 1, 2010 to cover any sales tax on the current year’s poppies and wreaths acquired by the Royal Canadian Legion.
For more information, see http://www.fin.gc.ca/n10/10-101-eng.asp