Regional district gets behind push to give firefighters a tax break

Mike Damour - Cowichan News Leader Pictorial : February 18, 2010 2:00 AM

There’s no question the Cowichan Valley Regional District board supports our volunteer firefighters. That was evident Wednesday night when it unanimously endorsed a recommendation to give the unpaid blaze battlers a tax break. “That’s great news,” said Mill Bay Volunteer fire hall Chief Terry Culp. “Fire departments all around North America are hurting for volunteers and anything we can get will help.” Dan Derby, general manager of public safety for the CVRD said the tax break is long overdue. “The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and the B.C. Association of Fire Chiefs have chased this issue for years and they got it onto a bill just before the dissolution of the government before the last election,” he said. “Now we have to start over again.” In the past, needed legislation became mired in issues surrounding other volunteer groups that believe their members could use a tax break as well. “If the issue was just about firefighters I think it would have gone ahead years ago, but the issue becomes what about other organizations and other volunteers,” said Derby. “All levels of volunteers deserve respect, but this particular issue is about firefighters and it needs to happen.”

There is a tax benefit for some firefighters now, but does not include all. “For example,” said Derby, “in places like North Cowichan, where they’re paying their guys, they get a tax credit on the first thousand dollars. “But in places like Sahtlam, where they don’t get a wage they don’t get that benefit and this is trying to get a $2,000 tax benefit for volunteers who put in 200 or more hours per year.” According to the results of a recent survey conducted by the CAFC, that garnered responses from 644 Volunteer fire departments from all provinces and territories, 91.9 per cent of volunteer fire departments are experiencing difficulties with recruitment of new members while 85 per cent of them are experiencing difficulties retaining existing members. The survey goes on to state 95.6 per cent of volunteer fire departments stated an element of personal income tax relief would help with their recruitment difficulties, while 96.3 per cent of them felt such relief would help them with their retention difficulties. Brad Kornelson, chief of the Shawnigan Lake hall said the tax break would be a welcome incentive to new and existing firefighters. “I definitely think it will help recruit (more firefighters) and it definitely helps to maintain what we have now,” he said. “You’re looking at putting money in a volunteer firefighter’s pocket for all the time and commitment they make to the department and the community.”

The next move is for CVRD Chairwoman Gerry Giles to write a letter to Jim Flaherty, B.C.’s minister of finance, in support for the tax break. Similar letters are being penned in other B.C. municipalities that depend on the volunteer squads.

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Don Quixote: Nova Scotia has Tax relief already:

Volunteer firefighter tax credit

Volunteer firefighters can claim a tax credit by entering the amount of $250 (for 2007) on line 83 of form NS428 from the Nova Scotia General Income Tax and Benefit Package, if they meet all of the following conditions:

	resident of Nova Scotia on December 31 of the tax year
	volunteer firefighter for a minimum of six months during the tax year
	did not receive salary, wages or compensation, other than reasonable reimbursement or allowance for expenses, and
	listed as a volunteer firefighter on the report filed by the volunteer fire department.

To be eligible, firefighters must participate in no less than 20 per cent of emergency calls responded to by the volunteer fire department; training sessions conducted by the volunteer fire department; and meetings held by the volunteer fire department.

The amount of $250 will be increased to $375 for 2008, and $500 for 2009.

For more information see the Nova Scotia Department of Finance news release from January 31, 2008.

The Nova Scotia 2008 budget announced that this credit has been expanded to include ground search and rescue volunteers.