Taxpayers 1 - Coalition 0

Another victory for taxpayers against Government bureaucracy over stepping their authority. In a court ruling Elections Canada will have to collect the GST overpayments from political parties. No more free ride, double dipping for the coalition parties. The Angry left will demand their entitlements remain.



Details below:

• Cassels Brock Lawyers Represent the Conservative Party of Canada in Reimbursement for GST Overpayment- On October 26, 2009, William Burden and Arthur Hamilton represented the Conservative Party of Canada before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in an attempt to reimburse the government of Canada for a GST overpayment received for past election expenses. The overpayment resulted from a change in the Conservative Party of Canada's tax status.

• Today the Conservative Party won its court application, brought against Elections Canada, to prevent Rebate Double-Dipping.-Paul Wells
  

• Mr. Justice H.J. Wilton-Siegel said that isn't the Election Act's concern in the first place.

• Elections Canada did not want to accept the funds because the GST rebate is meant to offer financial support for political parties, which are listed as non-profit organizations.-CTV
  

• The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has learned that federal political parties owe taxpayers millions of dollars for over-payments of rebates, yet Elections Canada refuses to collect. CTF Federal Director, Kevin Gaudet, said “this is a massive over-payment of a political subsidy and it needs to be collected from all political parties that owe it.”-CTF 

Will the political parties that make up the Coalition return their GST overpayments?