Tories chastise minister for taxing autistic children
Caledon Citizen Staff Reporter
Shurman noted that he?s hearing from parents of autistic children and IBI therapy providers in his riding who are deeply concerned about what the additional cost of the HST on IBI therapy will mean for autistic children. An IBI therapy provider has indicated that families are already limiting the number of hours of IBI therapy for their children by what they can currently afford to pay.
?Making them pay another eight per cent in HST will only force them to cut back those hours even further,? Shurman remarked. ?In the words of one parent from my riding,
?Taxing autistic children is immoral.?
Tories chastise minister for taxing autistic children
Caledon Citizen Staff Reporter
In Question Period May 12, Dufferin ? Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, Progressive Conservative critic for Children and Youth Services, and her caucus colleague Peter Shurman from Thornhill berated Minister Laurel Broten about the impact that the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) will have on autistic children?s therapy.
?Parents of autistic children who have to pay out-ofpocket for Intensive Behavioural Intervention spend on average $60,000 per year for therapy,? said Jones. ?Starting July 1st, IBI therapy providers who are not registered psychologists will have to charge their clients the HST.?
Shurman noted that he?s hearing from parents of autistic children and IBI therapy providers in his riding who are deeply concerned about what the additional cost of the HST on IBI therapy will mean for autistic children. An IBI therapy provider has indicated that families are already limiting the number of hours of IBI therapy for their children by what they can currently afford to pay.
?Making them pay another eight per cent in HST will only force them to cut back those hours even further,? Shurman remarked. ?In the words of one parent from my riding,
?Taxing autistic children is immoral.?