The Canadian Trucking Alliance has provided the federal government its written submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the Federal Budget.
CTA issued the following recommendations to be included in the next federal budget:
- The federal government needs to make good on promises made to our industry and address the gross labour abuse and tax evasion which is occurring.
- Review the current tax system with an eye towards promoting economic growth for businesses and workers alike.
- Raise the small business deduction limit from $500,000 to $700,000.
- The Accelerated Investment Incentive (AII) should be expanded and made permanent.
- Likewise, the tax system could be reviewed and bolstered to better support our workers. CTA believes there are a few easy changes that can be made to show all drivers we appreciate their efforts and understand the challenges of being away from home on the road.
- Better support the risk-free testing of green and other emerging technologies in real-world conditions.
- Reinstate the federal excise tax (FET) refund for trucking idle-reduction technology (TIRT), which is used by the industry to reduce fuel consumption.
- Reverse the removal of excise tax refunds for fuel consumed by power take-off units (PTOs).
- The Government of Canada could also examine the potential for a tax exemption for fuel saving technology.
- Suspend the carbon tax for a minimum of four years on diesel fuel. Currently, no wholly viable alternative exists, and the current tax serves no policy purpose in the sector.
- The federal government needs to address the issue of double taxation between federal and provincial carbon pricing systems. Companies refuelling in Quebec should be exempt from the federal carbon tax since they’ve already paid a tax with the Cap-and-trade system (CATS).
CTA will be issuing more details on each of its recommendations in the coming weeks.