An online petition supporting a tax credit for auxiliary police officers has reached 663 signatures as of today (Monday). The initiative, brought about by Vernon Councillor Bob Spiers, has only been active for a month. Spiers says volunteer firemen and search and rescue personnel benefit from this tax break and he feels auxiliary police officers also deserve it. The new Liberal government opened the door by implementing a new E-petition concept Spiers has taken advantage of. "Anyone could go on and petition the government and the government would be responsible to make sure it got heard in the House of Commons. It's another way of bringing it in front of them, and hopefully with a new government I was hoping to get a better response." Spiers points out his petition is designed to give all auxiliary police and not only those with the RCMP a break. "It also applies to any auxiliary policemen. It's not only the RCMP ones we're talking about, but any of the municipal auxiliaries, the provincial auxiliaries that are in the same category, in uniform unpaid volunteers." Spiers says the tax credit would be one way of thanking these volunteers for the time the put in with all police departments Canada-wide.
The petition is open for signatures until May 7th. Here is the link.
https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-29
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- The previous government instituted a tax credit for Volunteer Firemen in 2011 and a similar tax treatment for Volunteer Search and Rescue in 2014; and
- An Auxiliary Constable is an unarmed, unpaid, uniformed RCMP volunteer whose activities are governed under provincial legislation.
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, request (or call upon) the Government of Canada to extend a tax credit to Auxiliary Police Officers similar to that already given to Volunteer FireFighters and Search and Rescue volunteers.
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