Ontario government set to match federal 2-month tax holiday on some items [Video]

Ontario’s finance minister has announced the province will match a holiday tax break announced by the federal government, removing its provincial sales tax on the same items.

Last week, the Trudeau government announced a series of new affordability measures over the holiday period and into the new year, including a two-month “GST holiday” on some items beginning on Dec. 14.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called on provincial governments to “step up” and drop their own sales taxes for the same period to lower the cost of those items.

On Wednesday, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said that “following extensive discussions” with Ottawa, his government would remove the provincial sales tax on items that aren’t already tax-exempt.

Ontario has long removed the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax from similar items listed in Ottawa’s GST break plan, such as children’s clothes and some food.

“The provincial government will match the federal government’s two-month GST …