HST Will Drive Up Cost Of Fitness, Gym Owners Warn

“The HST is a ‘fat tax’ that doesn’t penalize you for eating doughnuts but does for trying to burn them off, fitness aficionados say. Gym owners and users rallied on the front lawn of Queen’s Park Wednesday to protest the blended levy which comes into force on July 1, combining the 8 per cent provincial sales tax with the 5 per cent GST and raising taxes on a host of items not currently subject to PST. The list of items that will increase in cost includes gym memberships, the Fitness Industry Council of Canada says. Junk food and value meals under $4 are exempt from the HST, however, along with newspapers, books, coffee, children's clothing and booster seats, and feminine hygiene products. Taxes on 83 per cent of products - including groceries - will not change. ‘How can the government justify making fast food more accessible and fitness less accessible?’ asked Andy Soumbos, a franchisee owner of 14 Curves clubs in Ontario. As part of the protest, a petition signed by 15,000 Ontarians was handed to Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak and PC MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton)...

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/811870--hst-will-drive-up-cost-of-fitness-gym-owners-warn