Poilievre Commits to Tax Fairness for Travelling Trades Workers

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced today that a new Conservative government will allow travelling trades workers to write off the full cost of food, transport and accommodation needed to go from one job to another while ending write-offs for luxury corporate jets that are not needed to do business. 

“The principle of the tax system should be that people can write off costs needed to earn income. But right now, corporate insiders can write off private jets that are not needed to earn company income, while trades workers can only write off $4000 to go to jobs, even if they need to travel 20 or 30 times in a year," said Poilievre. "Corporations do not need to fly their executives around in private jets to sell products, given that there are commercial flights. Meanwhile, workers must pay to go where the work is." 

Poilievre announced today that a New Conservative Government will change the Income Tax Act to bring fairness:

1.   No more write-offs of luxury corporate jets. Corporations will be able to write off the equivalent of a commercial flight. Charter flights needed to get workers to remote job sites will not be impacted by this change.

2.   Travelling trades workers will be able to write off the full cost of food, transportation and accommodation.

Conservative M.P. Chris Lewis originally proposed the Travelling Fairness for Trades Workers Act (Private Members Bill C-241). Under this Act, anyone who must travel more than 120 km from their ordinary place of residence to a job site will be able to deduct their expenses, just as other businesses do.

“I’ve met these workers as I’ve crossed Canada over the past few years—whether they’re flying up to Northern Ontario to work in logging operations and mines or travelling to the British Columbia interior from Alberta to build the liquefaction facility there,” Poilievre said. “These are the people who build our country and it’s outrageous that jet-setting executives get better tax treatment than they do.”

Corporate insiders like Mark Carney got to write off their luxury private jet travel, taking tax money away from health care and education. Yet, people who actually do the work, must pay out of pocket to get to their jobs. It is not fair.

After the Lost Liberal Decade, costs and crime are up and our economy is down under America’s thumb. We can’t afford a fourth Liberal term under out-of-touch global elites like Mark Carney. We need a new Conservative government that puts Canada and its incredible workers first—For a Change.