Today's news

Try this on for size: Sales tax on bikes returns, fossil fuels exempt

Plenty of unhappy comments today in response to this column about the B.C. Government - via tax harmonization - removing longstanding tax exemptions for, among many other things, bicycles.

BC residents will also pay higher taxes on:

. hard hats, safety boots, smoke detectors and items used in farm production, everything from fence posts to hog pens;
. restaurant meals, knitting yarn, and pollution control products;
. alternative fuel vehicles, jet aircraft, and a range of goods used by the aquaculture industry;
. energy-efficient products and other “green” goods.

Exemptions will be in place for only these items:

. Children’s clothing, car seats, diapers, books, feminine hygiene products, gasoline and diesel fuel.