I joined debate on Budget 2018 in Parliament today with a speech calling on Canadians to take action to fight a new tax on military families.
The government, desperate for cash, has begun to tax the posting allowance given to members of the Canadian Forces when they are relocated.
When the women and men serving in our Canadian Forces are ordered to move to a new location, the Government provides a posting allowance to cover the costs of the move.
The posting allowance was incorporated into the Integrated Relocation Program, or IRP, as a non-taxable posting benefit as a result of a recommendation from the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs made in their October 1998 report Moving Forward – A Strategic Plan for Quality of Life Improvements.
Effective December 1st, 2017 the allowance is will be treated as taxable income.
It is hard to believe that the Minister of Defence would support taxing soldiers this way, but for Trudeau Liberals taxing Canadians is a higher priority than protecting Canadians.
Only in a Liberal Government is the Revenue Minister more powerful than the Defence Minister.
I encourage Canadians to send a letter to the Minister of Defence and their local MP opposing the new posting allowance tax.