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ADULT FITNESS TAX CREDIT
Speaking Notes / Fact Sheet April 2015
The following points are to be used when speaking to the media or pubic about the Adult Fitness Tax Credit:
In April 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made two election promises for when the budget is balanced :
Introducing an Adult Fitness Tax Credit (AFTC)
Doubling the existing Children’s Fitness Tax Credit (CFTC)
Children’s Fitness Tax Credit:
On October 9, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Government’s intention to double the CFTC to
$1,000 and make it refundable for the 2015 tax year.
The original CFTC was introduced by the Government in the 2006 Budget to help promote physical fitness among
children by making it more affordable for Canadian families to register their kids in fitness activities.
The enhancements to the credit will deliver additional tax relief to about 850,000 families who enrol their children in eligible
fitness activities.
Adult Fitness Tax Credit:
On April 21, 2015, during the federal budget announcement, the Government of Canada announced that an expert panel
would be established to design the Adult Fitness Tax Credit.
The AFTC would be implemented “to support Canadians in choosing a healthy, active lifestyle, [the Government] will establish
an Adult Fitness Tax Credit, to cover up to $500 in registration fees for fitness activities for adults.” Stephen Harper’s
Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth (Conservative Platform 2011), The Conservative Party of Canada
Background:
Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) has been advocating for the extension of the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit to include
adults since 2006.
In 2007, FIC commissioned an economic report from the Centre for Spatial Economics (CSE), which outlined the potential
costs of implementing the tax credit, as well as potential economic benefits.
An AFTC will encourage nearly one million more Canadians to get active and healthier (as it includes activities
such as registered sports and gym memberships).
The federal budget office estimated on September 25, 2013 that the implementation of an Adult Fitness Tax Credit could cost
$268 million over five years.
A national poll conducted by POLLARA in 2011 showed than three-in-five Canadians think the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit
should be extended to all Canadians regardless of age.
Health Care Costs:
Healthier Canadians will need less health care and miss less work due to illness.
Within just three years, health care savings will outweigh reduced income taxes.
According to the CSE report, an AFTC will create an economic benefit of $625 million over five years in net health care savings.
According to the CSE report, if both federal and provincial government participate, the health care savings would reach $1.1
billion by 2029.
Implementing the AFTC may cost the Government money at first, but in the long run, it would prove to be an economic health benefit.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.ADULTFITNESSTAXCREDIT.CA