House passes fisheries tax motion

By Natalie Musseau

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

Former fishermen fighting tax treatment by Revenue

Canada now have members of the Provincial House of Assembly behind them.

The MHAs passed a motion on May 21 calling on the federal government to “review and correct the unfair financial income tax burden placed on Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who participated in the 1999 Atlantic Groundfish Retirement Program.”

Hundreds of former fishermen have been fighting for several years for income tax refunds they claim were unfairly taken from them when they accepted federal license buy-out packages.

Liberal opposition leader Yvonne Jones proposed an amendment to the motion, calling for an all-party committee to lobby the federal government.

“This issue needs to be elevated to the top of the agenda for the federal government,” Jones told the House. “We feel that if these people had owed money to Revenue Canada or to the federal government that the taxman would come collecting.”

She said her office has received some 200 letters from families affected by the issue.

Trevor Taylor, acting Minister of Fisheries, called all-party committees a waste of time and money.

“I say to the people who contact me: Yes, the provincial government has a responsibility to lobby on your behalf …but ultimately the federal government are the people who have the only opportunity to correct this mistake,” he said.

Kelvin Parsons, Burgeo La Poile MHA, argued the all-party committee was needed to give strength and unity.

“Just encouraging the federal government to go talk to the Canada Revenue Agency is not going to cut it,” said Parsons. “If you are going to bring any substance and any status to this issue, we need to put some teeth into it.”

The amendment was defeated.





Meeting cancelled





In late April, federal fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn committed to look into the matter after meeting with local advocate Elizabeth Harvey and several other former fishers in Port aux Basques.

According to Parsons, while in Opposition in 2000, Minister Hearn wrote at least one letter to Revenue Canada on the issue on behalf of his constituents. MParsons questioned why Minister Hearn wasn’t familiar with the details of the issue in late April. The follow up meeting the minister agreed to at that time was cancelled and has not been rescheduled.

Harvey said the meeting was cancelled the day before it was to take place. Former fishers from as far away as St. Anthony and Burgeo had already travelled to Port aux Basques.

“His (Minister Hearn’s) assistant told me it would not be rebooked,” said Harvey. “She didn’t see why it would be needed.”

Steve Outhouse, communications director for the minister, explained the meeting “was interrupted due to changes in the Parliamentary schedule that cancelled all of Minister Hearn’s plans that day. This regularly happens in a minority Parliament situation, unfortunately.”

Outhouse said senior members of Minister Hearn’s staff have met with Eli Baker, the lawyer working on behalf of the fishermen, to ensure the file keeps moving forward. He added that information is being collected in preparation for a future meeting with staff from the Department of National Revenue.

“Regarding the earlier letter, Minister Hearn has never stopped working on the issue of tax fairness for fish harvesters,” said Outhouse.

“During the recent meeting in Port aux Basques he was made aware of new facts that he had not been presented with in the past, which gave reason to renew efforts on the file.”

Meanwhile, on May 21, the minister’s office requested signed permission from Harvey said to allow staffers access to her husband’s tax files.