New Tax changes for Ontario Residents January 1/2016

[Bill Shearer]

Tax changes and new rules for Ontario motorists as of Jan. 1

BY KEITH LESLIE, THE CANADIAN PRESS

POSTED DEC 31, 2015 6:05 AM EST

LAST UPDATED DEC 31, 2015 AT 6:10 AM EST

• LOCAL

Traffic on the Don Valley Parkway. SOURCE: Wikimedia Commons/Floydian

A series of regulatory and fee changes are set to take effect in Ontario on Jan. 1, 2016, including increases in electricity bills and a break for natural gas users.

The debt retirement charge of about $70 a year is being eliminated from hydro bills, but so is a 10 per cent discount program that saved the average residential consumer about $200 a year.

The Ontario Energy Board has approved rate decreases effective Jan. 1 that should save the average household that relies on natural gas about $48 a year.

The Ontario tax credit rate for charitable donations over $200 increases in the new year from 11.16 per cent to 17.41 per cent.

Another regulatory change will require drivers to remain stopped at a school crosswalk until people are completely off the road instead of proceeding once a person crossing the street is no longer on the driver’s half of the road.

Bad drivers who are ordered to attend demerit point interviews will be charged a new $50 fee to cover the cost of the interview, and they will lose their driver’s licence if they don’t pay the fee.

Ontario municipalities will be able to mail traffic tickets to owners of vehicles with out-of-province plates and the province’s courts will accept evidence from other jurisdictions for the purposes of prosecution.

The fee applied to unpaid fines under the Provincial Offences Act will increase to $40 from $20 – its first increase since 1992.

And as of Jan. 1, insurance companies must offer a discount to motorists who install four winter tires on their vehicles, but the amount of the discount is not specified.

Validation fees for small farm vehicles rise from $123 to $140 and the fee for heavier farm vehicles rises from $975 to $1,110.

Oversize and overweight fees for commercial carriers will increase from $400 to $440 for an annual permit and from $260 to $286 for each project permit.

There will be a ban on the sale of flavoured tobacco products on Jan. 1, and the ban on smoking will expand to include the grounds of hospitals and psychiatric facilities.

The province backed off a plan to ban vaping or using electronic cigarettes on Jan. 1 after advocates of medical marijuana said the regulation would have allowed them to vape just about anywhere. New regulations are expected later in the year.

There are also changes to the way the province taxes trusts, including estates, that will apply the highest personal income tax rate.

People who rely on partial disability benefits from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board will see an increase of 0.5 per cent on Jan. 1 – part of a staged approach to provide all injured workers with benefits fully indexed to inflation.

The royalty paid by commercial fishers rises from 3.3 to four per cent for fish harvested. Annual fees for commercial fishing licences more than double, from $25 to $54.56 for less than 15,000 pounds annual catch, and from $100 to $218.56 for more than 15,000 pounds.

[dave524]

Watching the morning news on CHCH Hamilton, they are still confused on the new crosswalk law saying it applies to all intersections. Been confusing to a lot of people, this helps clear it up.

 

http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/5789120-road-ahead-i-got-it-wrong-no-crosswalk-changes-are-coming/

[BillM]

A higher Hydro bill, can't say that I'm surprised.

[John Bacon]

A higher Hydro bill, can't say that I'm surprised.

 

And the distribution charge will increase in March. That will be the third increase in under six months (Nov 1, 2015; Jan 1, 2016; & March 1, 2016).

 

This of course is all Harris's fault... at least according to Wynne.

 

 

[Dara]

I guess they are holding off till Jume to enact the user fee for 400 series highways

[irishfield]

Figured with the Liberals not specifying how much discount for snow tires it would be Bull, but I'm happy to report that I just had 3% removed from my premium on the truck. Considering I only pay $710 a year that 3% will buy me 4 new lug nuts, but for the young guys paying a few grand a year it could be a significant reduction for running snows.

[lookinforwalleye]

Show of hands who voted Liberal...........

[G.mech]

Watching the morning news on CHCH Hamilton, they are still confused on the new crosswalk law saying it applies to all intersections. Been confusing to a lot of people, this helps clear it up.

 

 

 

I saw that on the early edition too but they made it clear(er) on the later segments that it DOES NOT apply to crosswalks at intersections.

Edited December 31, 2015 by G.mech

[dave524]

 

 

I saw that on the early edition too but they made it clear(er) on the later segments that it DOES NOT apply to crosswalks at intersections.

 

I sent them an email , maybe you can thank me for the clarification

[Fishwilly]

Show of hands who voted Liberal...........

Sound of cricket.....most of us didn't as we're level headed right?

[Paudash]

Just wait until the new Federal budget comes out in the spring the Federal Liberals are going to make the Provincial Liberals look like minor leaguers when it comes to tax increases

 

Remember Mr Trudeau believes any family making over 80k is well off so everyone making more than 50k per year is going to be hit hard

[Dara]

Sound of cricket.....most of us didn't as we're level headed right?

Its really not hard to guess who did