Industry pushes for tax reform

The group known as the Building Energy Efficiency Coalition (BEEC), which includes the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC), recently sent a detailed submission to the Federal Minister of Finance and the Minister of Natural Resources. The group is seeking an expansion in the equipment included in Class 43.2 of the Income Tax Act. The BEEC believes that in most cases the revised tax treatment of the energy efficiency retrofit investments in Canada will increase government revenue. By saving substantial energy costs, the reform will enable the government to gain tax revenue from the increased net income of the building owner. That is in addition to taxes gained on the profits and wages earned by the manufacturers and installers of the energy efficient equipment, and on the increased wages earned the new workers who are hired. Speaking for the BEEC, John Dickie said, “Energy efficiency tax reform will create a large number of good jobs, since the work must be done in Canada and much of the equipment is manufactured in Canada. Energy efficiency tax reform is a win-win proposition, good for workers, good for the environment, good for building owners and tenants, and positive for government revenue.” For more information, see www.cfaa-fcapi.org/BEEC proposal.phb. Other BEEC members include the: Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA), Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac), Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Thermal Insulation Association of Canada (TIAC),  Association of Energy Engineers – Southern Ontario Chapter (AEE-SOC), and Energy Services Association of Canada (ESA)