TORONTO - Anyone looking to buy a bicycle or helmet as a Christmas present will get a break on the Ontario provincial sales tax effective Saturday.
The province will forgo about $25 million a year to give people a tax break on bicycles under $1,000, bike helmets and related safety equipment starting Dec. 1.
Premier Dalton McGuinty says the province is lifting the eight per cent sales tax on the bikes and helmets as a "Christmas treat for our families.''
He says the idea is to encourage people to become more active and so more kids can experience he calls the simple joy of riding a bike.
McGuinty also hopes the tax exemption will encourage people to get outdoors and ease congestion on the roads, and perhaps even try commuting to work by bike.
New Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best will hold a news conference Sunday at a Toronto bicycle shop to talk about the new tax incentive.
