The Western Barley Growers Association (WBGA) is expressing concerns with federal budget that was tabled on March 24, 2017.
In a news release, it says it’s opposed to the Liberal government’s plan to terminate the 40-year-old Cash Ticket Deferral program, which allows farmers to manage their income between each tax year.
WBGA President Doug Robertson says it allows farmers to manage the risks Mother Nature can have on their crops.
“The nature of farming is that unlike most professions, income can vary a lot from year-to-year,” said Robertson. “The boom and bust cycles are an uncontrollable reality for farmers.”
The Grits says there’s no reason to keep the deferral since the Canadian Wheat Board lost its monopoly in 2012, adding that the program is no longer useful for farmers.
But Robertson disagrees.
“The reality is that the Tax Deferral has nothing to do with the former CWB,” he points out. “The Advance Payments Program (APP) was developed for farmers to deal with the uncertainty of delivery and marketing opportunities of the old CWB, not the Cash Ticket Deferral program.
“The APP still exists, and is a tool farmers rely on to manage cash flow as they wait for the opportunity to deliver grain,” Robertson continued. “The Cash Tick Deferral is used by 80 percent of farmers. And that indicates a clear rationale for keeping the program.”
The WBGA suggests that farmers need to let their Associations and Commissions know how valuable this program is to them, so that the message can be passed on to the Federal Government right away.
As well, the government’s set up a public consultation portal so the public can provide their input over the termination of the program.
It can be accessed at consultation_tax_2017@canada.ca.
It’ll remain available until May 24.
– Posted by BET
