Canadian Van owners will not get the per diem/meal allowance anymore..The sentence in bold tells it all. This is one reason why I don't waste my money on lobby groups like the CTA or OOIDA becuase they only cater to the big trucks.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - March 19, 2007) - Today's federal budget, introduced in the House of Commons by finance minister, Jim Flaherty, had something for everyone, including truck drivers. Starting immediately the federal government will begin to restore the meal tax deductibility for long-haul truck drivers (or the company that reimburses them) to 80% from the 50% level it has been at since 1994. The breakdown for the incremental increases is: 60% starting March 19, 65% in 2008, 70% in 2009, 75% in 2010, and 80% after 2010. This benefit will be partially offset by a gradual reduction in the input tax credit for GST and HST on meals. To be eligible, drivers must be away for at least 24 consecutive hours, and the purpose of the trip is to transport goods beyond a 160 km radius from the home location; in addition, the vehicle must have a GVWR of greater than 11,788 kgs.
For the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) which has been fighting for the restoration of the 80% deduction, for more than a dozen years, this was welcome news. It had been a feature of virtually every CTA pre-budget submission during that period. The report of the Standing Committee on Finance tabled at the end of 2006, noted the need to finally address this matter. Most recently, CTA joined forces with Teamsters Canada and the Owner-Operator's Business Association of Canada, in launching the End the Lunch Bag Letdown campaign where truck drivers sent thousands of post cards to the finance minister calling upon him to restore the 80% deduction.
"This is a clear, decisive victory for the hardworking Canadian men and women of the trucking industry," says David Bradley, CEO, Canadian Trucking Alliance. "This is a good move."
"It proves once again," he says, "that if you believe in your cause and it is just, that you make reasonable arguments, if you work with other groups having the same objective, and most of all if you are persistent you can prevail upon government to do the right thing. You have to be in it for the long haul and you have to have a government that is willing to listen."
There were other measures of interest to the trucking industry. For example, the budget included $16 billion in new infrastructure funding, most of which starts in FY 2010-2011 and which will include new funding (funding not announced in 2006) of $6 billion over four years for a new Building Canada Fund. From now until 2010, all funding programs announced in 2006 are being folded into various funds, including the Building Canada fund and the fund for gateways and border crossings (including funding for the Windsor-Detroit corridor and the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor).
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - March 19, 2007) - Today's federal budget, introduced in the House of Commons by finance minister, Jim Flaherty, had something for everyone, including truck drivers. Starting immediately the federal government will begin to restore the meal tax deductibility for long-haul truck drivers (or the company that reimburses them) to 80% from the 50% level it has been at since 1994. The breakdown for the incremental increases is: 60% starting March 19, 65% in 2008, 70% in 2009, 75% in 2010, and 80% after 2010. This benefit will be partially offset by a gradual reduction in the input tax credit for GST and HST on meals. To be eligible, drivers must be away for at least 24 consecutive hours, and the purpose of the trip is to transport goods beyond a 160 km radius from the home location; in addition, the vehicle must have a GVWR of greater than 11,788 kgs.
For the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) which has been fighting for the restoration of the 80% deduction, for more than a dozen years, this was welcome news. It had been a feature of virtually every CTA pre-budget submission during that period. The report of the Standing Committee on Finance tabled at the end of 2006, noted the need to finally address this matter. Most recently, CTA joined forces with Teamsters Canada and the Owner-Operator's Business Association of Canada, in launching the End the Lunch Bag Letdown campaign where truck drivers sent thousands of post cards to the finance minister calling upon him to restore the 80% deduction.
"This is a clear, decisive victory for the hardworking Canadian men and women of the trucking industry," says David Bradley, CEO, Canadian Trucking Alliance. "This is a good move."
"It proves once again," he says, "that if you believe in your cause and it is just, that you make reasonable arguments, if you work with other groups having the same objective, and most of all if you are persistent you can prevail upon government to do the right thing. You have to be in it for the long haul and you have to have a government that is willing to listen."
There were other measures of interest to the trucking industry. For example, the budget included $16 billion in new infrastructure funding, most of which starts in FY 2010-2011 and which will include new funding (funding not announced in 2006) of $6 billion over four years for a new Building Canada Fund. From now until 2010, all funding programs announced in 2006 are being folded into various funds, including the Building Canada fund and the fund for gateways and border crossings (including funding for the Windsor-Detroit corridor and the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor).
..we all have to "NIP" this tax thing in the bud