It's a tough lesson in economics for Canadian parents this week as they suffer from sticker shock from the cost of back-to-school supplies..Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on Tuesday it is "Trudeau's back to school sticker shock."."His money-printing deficits bid up costs and carbon taxes boost shipping costs for backpacks, notepads and pencils. And calculators — if only the prime minister could work one," Poilievre said.."The Owen Hart Foundation in Alberta has seen an almost double demand for its annual backpack and school supply giveaway.".Poilievre said this year the Hart Foundation saw the demand jump for supplies by 76% according to CBC News.."Even CBC has noticed their donations have slowed and just because everyone's really struggling with our weak economy and so it is difficult to get sponsors to commit.".The Canadian Taxpayers (CTF) said on Tuesday it is highlighting savings for Alberta parents during back-to-school shopping because the province has no provincial sales tax (PST). .“Parents who are shopping for back-to-school supplies in Alberta are saving about $50 per family because we don’t have PST here,” Alberta Director of the CTF Kris Sims said..“Inflation is making things much tougher to manage, but it’s still more affordable here because we don’t pay a provincial sales tax.”.Alberta is home to more than 700,000 students enrolled in kindergarten to Grade 12 who are returning to school within the next two weeks..Sims said a 2023 Deloitte survey shows Canadian parents will spend an average of $597 on back-to-school supplies per student..Sims noted Alberta parents spend $350 per student on back-to-school items, they are saving more than $18 million this year because they aren’t paying a 7% PST on things such as shoes, clothes, notebooks, pens, backpacks, lunch kits and laptops..“The provincial sales tax we don’t pay on school tech really stands out, since we are saving about $20 on a simple laptop,” Sims said..Here’s how Alberta’s savings stack up when compared to other provinces: .BC has a PST of 7%. While some school supplies are PST-exempt, parents often must go through a complicated process to avoid the tax. In BC, for example, backpacks and knapsacks carry a PST charge, but “bags specifically designed to carry school books” don’t have the tax. Families in BC will spend about $15 million in PST on back-to-school supplies this year.Saskatchewan has a PST of 6% and it applies to nearly all back-to-school supplies such as pens, paper, shoes, clothes and tech. Rare exceptions exist. For example, Saskatchewan’s sales tax is charged on maps, but not atlases. Families in Saskatchewan will spend about $3.9 million in PST on back-to-school supplies this year.Ontario has a retail sales tax of 8% which is harmonized with the federal GST. Some provincial sales tax exemptions for children’s clothing and children’s shoes costing less than $30 exist in Ontario but exemptions are few. Families in Ontario will spend about $50 million in PST on back-to-school supplies this year..“The next time someone is pushing for a PST in Alberta, parents should remember how these costs add up," Sims said.
