TORONTO, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the measures in this week’s fall economic statement by the Ford Ontario government was the creation of a Staycation Tax Credit – a suggestion that was presented to the government by UFCW Canada (United Food and Commercial Workers union) Local 102 and UFCW Canada Local 333 in 2020.
On June 4, 2020, UFCW Local 333, in a presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, first proposed the idea of a tax credit for Ontarians staying in hotels and eating in restaurants, to revive the struggling hospitality sector and to prevent further layoffs of workers in the industry. MPPs on the committee and officials from the hospitality industry welcomed the idea as a fresh and novel approach to help this sector which was struggling during the pandemic.
On October 14, 2020, in a joint pre-budget submission to the Ford government, UFCW Local 102 and UFCW Local 333 again proposed the idea of a staycation tax credit and were able to provide data that the idea had been adopted by other jurisdictions and had proven to be quite successful.
“While we are certainly glad the government has acted upon our staycation recommendation, we only wish it would have happened earlier to help those workers and businesses in the hospitality sector who have suffered hardship throughout the pandemic,” said UFCW Local 333 Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Ketelaars.
“We hope the action by the government to follow through on our suggestion for a staycation tax credit will help to recover many of the jobs our members lost as a result of the pandemic,” says UFCW Canada Local 102 President Dominic Musitano. “Our members look forward to once again welcoming Ontarians at the hotels and restaurants they work at, to enjoy the hospitality UFCW Canada members have to offer.”
For further information contact:
Jeff Ketelaars
416-222-2433
jeff@ufcw333.ca
Issued by UFCW 102 and UFCW 333.
