Following Langford Request, Federal Government Drops Tariffs for PPE

Mayor Stew Young had appealed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after Langford was stuck with a six-figure tax bill for COVID-19 supplies

By Sean Craig
May 6, 2020

Following Langford Request, Federal Government Drops Tariffs for PPE

Mayor Stew Young had appealed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after Langford was stuck with a six-figure tax bill for COVID-19 supplies

By Sean Craig
May 6, 2020
A standard surgical mask (Pixabay.com)
A standard surgical mask (Pixabay.com)

Following Langford Request, Federal Government Drops Tariffs for PPE

Mayor Stew Young had appealed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after Langford was stuck with a six-figure tax bill for COVID-19 supplies

By Sean Craig
May 6, 2020
Get the news and events in Victoria, in your inbox every morning.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Following Langford Request, Federal Government Drops Tariffs for PPE
A standard surgical mask (Pixabay.com)

The federal government announced Wednesday that it is waiving tariffs on the importation of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other necessary medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, something Langford mayor Stewart Young appealed for in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month.

"By removing financial barriers, we’re making sure Canadians and Canadian businesses can access the critical medical goods they need during the COVID-19 crisis," said federal finance minister Bill Morneau, in a statement announcing the decision. "Our government remains focused on making sure workers have the protective equipment they need, that our supply chains continue to work well, and that Canadians remain safe and healthy."

Tariffs on some medical equipment had remained in place until the announcement, and were a non-recoverable cost for importers.

Young noted that an order of 252,000 masks would have cost his municipality $308,959 because it faced an 18 per cent tariff. He said that would have limited the number of supplies Langford and other cities could purchase.

"The federal and provincial governments should not be profiting via tariffs and taxes on essential items required in the fight against COVID‐19," he wrote, in the letter to Trudeau, dated April 17.

Article Author's Profile Picture
EMAIL:
TWITTER:
sean@capnews.ca

Related News

BC ends COVID-19 public health emergency
Stay connected to your city with the Capital Daily newsletter.
By filling out the form above, you agree to receive emails from Capital Daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.