View our videos to learn more about the TV Tax!
For a number of years, broadcasters – specifically CTV, Global and CBC – have been asking the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to tax cable and satellite customers for receiving over-the-air television stations.
This new tax is called fee-for-carriage and Shaw is working hard to fight it.
You spoke, and they heard!
Thanks to the thousands of consumer letters sent to the CRTC protesting the new tax, the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced that the CRTC has been directed to consider consumer interests.
Minister Moore stated that in this “period of unprecedented change” in Canada's communications environment, the CRTC and the entire broadcasting industry must “look to the future, to find innovative solutions, always with the consumer in mind."
“You can dress this up anyway you like, but the so called fee-for-carriage is a tax on TV viewers with absolutely no benefit,” said Jim Shaw, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Shaw. “We applaud Minister Moore for directing the CRTC to put affordability and the needs of consumers first.”
Read more about Minister Moore's announcement.
Hearings on the matter are scheduled for November 16, 2009, and December 7, 2009.
It’s not over yet!
The CRTC has already introduced a tax in the form of a 1.5% levy called the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). There is still a chance the fee-for-carriage tax could be implemented. On November 16, the CRTC will begin proceedings to review the Broadcaster's proposal to impose a TV Tax.
Although the deadline has passed to submit official comments to the CRTC, Minister Moore and your MP, you can still have your say by signing our petition.
Your voice counts! Minister Moore, your MP and the CRTC need to know what you think.
SIGN OUR PETITION TODAY!
Get the facts in this BNN interview with Shaw’s Ken Stein, Senior Vice President, Regulatory.
Broadcasters want you to pay more!
Learn more about LPIF and the proposed fee-for-carriage tax.
PRINT OFF THE REAL FACTS ABOUT THE TAXES ON YOUR TV.