A clause in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's latest omnibus budget bill, Bill C-69, targets the blind, denying them 50% of deductions for essential equipment purchases. Blacklock's Reporter says tax lawyers and opposition MPs are sounding the alarm, criticizing the bill's unwieldy size and error-ridden contents.Angelo Nikolakakis, a tax lawyer with EY Law LLP, testified before the Senate national finance committee, expressing astonishment at the clause's inclusion. "Why are we targeting these particular measures?" he asked, urging the committee to pull the clause until proper policy considerations can be made.The bill rewrites the Alternative Minimum Tax Act, section 127.52.l.j, restricting deductions for blind taxpayers on necessary devices like synthetic speech systems, Braille printers, and large print on-screen devices. Nikolakakis argued that this is not a legitimate expense, but rather a recognition of the special needs of blind individuals.Freeland introduced the 686-page bill on May 2, urging quick passage despite opposition MPs' concerns about the bill's size and lack of scrutiny. Conservative MP Marty Morantz noted that the committee meets only twice a week, making it impossible to properly review the 468 clauses.The use of omnibus budget bills has been criticized by the Liberal Party itself, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promising to end the practice in 2015. However, the current Liberal cabinet has continued to use these bills, with the 2018 budget bills totaling a record 1,411 pages.The Canadian Bar Association and tax lawyers are calling for the clause to be removed, citing its unfair targeting of the blind.
A clause in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's latest omnibus budget bill, Bill C-69, targets the blind, denying them 50% of deductions for essential equipment purchases. Blacklock's Reporter says tax lawyers and opposition MPs are sounding the alarm, criticizing the bill's unwieldy size and error-ridden contents.Angelo Nikolakakis, a tax lawyer with EY Law LLP, testified before the Senate national finance committee, expressing astonishment at the clause's inclusion. "Why are we targeting these particular measures?" he asked, urging the committee to pull the clause until proper policy considerations can be made.The bill rewrites the Alternative Minimum Tax Act, section 127.52.l.j, restricting deductions for blind taxpayers on necessary devices like synthetic speech systems, Braille printers, and large print on-screen devices. Nikolakakis argued that this is not a legitimate expense, but rather a recognition of the special needs of blind individuals.Freeland introduced the 686-page bill on May 2, urging quick passage despite opposition MPs' concerns about the bill's size and lack of scrutiny. Conservative MP Marty Morantz noted that the committee meets only twice a week, making it impossible to properly review the 468 clauses.The use of omnibus budget bills has been criticized by the Liberal Party itself, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promising to end the practice in 2015. However, the current Liberal cabinet has continued to use these bills, with the 2018 budget bills totaling a record 1,411 pages.The Canadian Bar Association and tax lawyers are calling for the clause to be removed, citing its unfair targeting of the blind.
