Trudeau to cut sales tax and send checks to millions of Canadians as election looms

Associated Press

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to temporarily lift the federal sales tax off a slew of items and send checks to millions of Canadians who are dealing with rising costs as a federal election looms. The measures come as an inflation-driven affordability crunch has left voters unhappy with the Trudeau government. The federal goods and services tax break would begin Dec. 14 and end Feb. 15. It will apply to a number of items including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to 150,000 Canadian dollars would receive a check for 250 Canadian dollars in the spring.