SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan NDP is calling out the Sask. Party for imposing a provincial sales tax on Halloween treats and kids’ costumes, making it harder for working families to celebrate the spooky holiday.
“The Halloween tax isn’t just parents taking some candy off the top of the pile,” said Brittney Senger, Saskatchewan NDP MLA for Saskatoon Southeast.
“The Sask. Party is taxing Halloween treats and kids’ costumes. It all adds up and it shouldn’t be so expensive for hardworking Saskatchewan families to spend quality time together.”
In 2017, the Sask. Party hiked the PST from five to six percent and added it to essentials like kids' clothing and groceries.
The Sask. Party’s tax on kids’ clothes costs parents, grandparents and caregivers over $20 million every year.
The Sask. Party grocery tax costs families $25 million annually. It applies to not only Halloween candy but also includes rotisserie chickens and hot ready-to-eat meals, pre-packaged salads, mixed and salted nuts, muffin and granola bars, protein and energy bars, certain fruit juices and yogurt drinks, sandwiches, and cheese, meats, fruits and vegetables when packaged as a platter.
“For a lot of kids, Halloween is the highlight of the year,” said Senger. “The government shouldn’t be taxing family fun or kids’ clothes or grocery store items, especially on Halloween.
“This Halloween, we’re calling on the Sask. Party to scrap its scary, horrifying, gruesome grocery tax.”
-30-
SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the new Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) to commit to launching an independent public inquiry into the disastrous 2025 wildfire response that saw entire communities burn to the ground.
REGINA — The Saskatchewan NDP is demanding answers from Scott Moe’s Health Ministers Jeremy Cockrill and Lori Carr after reports that a longtime EMS chief was fired for speaking honestly to municipal leaders about dangerous staffing shortages in Saskatchewan’s emergency medical services.