Canada's Children's Fitness Tax Credit benefits wealthier families

University of Alberta - Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation ^ | August 3, 2010 | Unknown

[decimon]

Lower income families can't afford registration fees; don't qualify for minimum income levels

When it comes to who gets the biggest bang for the buck from Canada's Children's Fitness Tax Credit (CFTC), it's wealthier families that benefit most, University of Alberta researchers have found.

It's the first study to look at the uptake and effectiveness of a tax credit to increase physical activity levels of children.

Behavioural scientist John Spence, and a team of researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, conducted an internet-based panel survey in March 2009 to see how effective the $500 tax credit was in helping children become more active.

Of 2135 Canadians taking part in the survey, 1004 were parents of children between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Participants were asked if their child was involved in an organized physical activity program, what the costs were to register for the program, whether they were aware of the fitness tax credit; if they'd claimed for it in the 2007 tax year, and whether they planned to claim for it the next year.

Among parents, 54.4 per cent said their child was enrolled in an organized physical activity program; 55.5 per cent of them were aware of the program; 26.1 per cent of parents made claims for the tax credit in 2007, and 33.1 per cent of them planned to do so in 2008.

Overall, only 15.6 per cent reported that it had increased their children's participation in physical activity programs; however, lower-income families used the tax credit less than wealthier families because they couldn't afford the registration fees for physical activity programs to begin with.

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The study was published in BMC Public Health in July 2010.

Dr. Spence is available for interviews on August 4 and 5. Please contact Jane Hurly to arrange.

[decimon]

Ping

[sinanju]

We could use a version of that here. Only why not cut out the middleman? Just have the kids weighed and measured every month by the school nurse to qualify for the handout.

No need for afterschool programs, just install an appropriately sized hamster wheel in the living room. I’m sure there would soon be TV and radio ads by outfits offering to whip your children into shape cheaper than the gummint can.

Perhaps a market would crop up for adopting 3rd world kids and keeping them skinny in order to milk the benefit.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

It’s $500.00 of free money. It took some digging to find a “victim” here (not counting the tax-payer, of course).

[battousai]

No its $500 of our money, this is a tax credit so if you spend $500 or more on kids for sports etc you can claim it back. Of course as with all forms of tax cuts... those who pay the taxes get the breaks. The leftists who are probably behind this study hate such logic. I for one love to get some of my taxes back.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Actually, it amounts to a subsidy from childless tax-payers to taxpayers with children. The government will collect “X” dollars, one way or another. The less it collects from those receiving tax credits; the more it has to collect from everyone else.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks decimon.

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[neverdem]

thanks decimon