Currently, Massage Therapy is one of the few health care services in Ontario that is subject to the Federal GST. As a result when the Province of Ontario enacts the Harmonized Sales Tax in 2010, the fees paid for massage therapy will be subject to this new tax.

The result will be that massage therapy services will be taxed at a rate of 13%. This will add almost $7.00 to the cost of a one hour treatment. This is a significant increase and massage therapists will not be able to absorb this as the cost of doing business.

This additional cost will be paid you or by your extended health care plan.

This additional cost will decrease the availability of affordable and effective health care in the province of Ontario.

The Ontario Massage Therapist Association is campaigning to encourage the Government of Ontario to make massage therapy exempt from this new tax.

I urge you to visit the OMTA’s web site and send a message that you support affordable health care. (http://www.omta.com/default.asp?id=1766 opens in new window). The page contains an interactive form that allows you to send a message supporting affordable tax-free health care to Premier McGuinty and Finance Minister Duncan.

If you have any questions, please to not hesitate to contact me.

Bruce Jackson, RMT
Bruce@KeepLifeActive.ca
613-907-1418