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. .This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
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. .This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.