Ontario’s new recycling fees are the talk of the town. , Premier Dalton McGuinty supports the levy as a way to deal with the excessive amount of e-waste.
“Right now, on an annual basis, we’re taking tons and tons of electronic waste … and putting it into our landfill sites,” McGuinty told reporters in Welland, Ont.
“Ontarians need to understand this: We can keep doing what we’ve done (but) I don’t think it’s fair to our kids. It’s certainly not fair to our grandchildren,” he said.
“We’ve got to take some responsibility to deal with this and we can create some jobs at the same time.”
The per-item fees will apply to all televisions and computers sold in Ontario after April 1, 2009. Manufacturers and importers will have to start paying the new tax at a rate of $10 for TVs and $2-$13 for computers. Programmes for the majority of all other electronics, including stereo equipment, telephones and cameras and will be introduced for approval next year.
Business owners are at liberty to decide if they want to pass on the entire fee to consumers or only a part of it. They have the choice to add the fee to the consumer’s bill at the time of the sale, increase taxable items, or absorb the new cost. Currently, businesses in the four provinces already paying the fees have chosen to add it to the consumer’s final bill.
Premier McGuinty stated that the programme, which will create 650 drop-off depots across the province, will also create more jobs. However, some people already in the electronics business fear that the new tax means they’ll have to close up shop.
For more information, visit: ec.gc.ca
|
|
