Some Ottawa fitness providers say Ontario's new harmonized sales tax will make it more expensive to switch to a healthier lifestyle.
"Knowing that there isn't HST on certain other items like junk food, whereas for a gym membership it's on it, and it just doesn't seem to make sense when people are trying to do something to be healthy, and it just makes it more difficult," said Rebecca Birch, who is a physical trainer and owns a Curves fitness centre for women.
It's not just gym memberships that have gone up in price. The HST also affects therapeutic massages, vitamins, nicotine replacements, and other health-related purchases.
Ontario Minister of Health Promotion Margaret Best said staying fit is worth the extra costs.
"Physical activity is great. Indeed I want to see people taking up the mantle of getting healthy and active. They should not be deterred," Best said.
Birch said the fitness industry is rallying together to persuade the province to provide a tax credit similar to the one for children that lets families claim up to $500 for a recreational program.
"[That's] so that you can at least at the end of the year claim some of it back. It would make it at least a little bit more of an incentive to work out at the gym," she said.
Related Stories
