Dear Canada Revenue Agency,
Hi. It’s me, Katie. I know that we have a pretty good relationship. You always give me what you owe and I always give what I owe. I like that about us. We keep it simple and uncomplicated. But CRA, I am mad at you. And it all has to do with cupcakes and diapers.
As you know, I am a mother. Actually, a single mother. I know you already know this though, since you made me prove it at tax time last year. But I’m over that. That’s not really why I’m mad. My anger is about something else, specifically; cupcakes.
As a single mom, my life is hectic. Sometimes even stressful. And when the stress becomes too much, I typically like to treat myself. My treats generally involve booze and food.
A few days ago I decided to buy myself a gourmet cupcake. I work hard and I deserve a treat now and then. I chose the salted caramel cupcake because it looked absolutely delicious. I forgot to take a picture but here’s basically what it looked like:
Jealous? Well you should be because it was freaking amazing! I devoured it in less than five minutes. As I was polishing off my cupcake with a glass of wine, I looked at the receipt and I could not believe my eyes. There was NO TAX on the cupcake. WTF! Here’s my receipt for proof:
Now look CRA, I understand that tax rules are not always black and white. There are some grey areas. I get that it was a single serve portion and some could even argue that it is a meal. Whatever. It isn’t but that’s not what I want to argue about. What pisses me off in all of this is that a cupcake wasn’t taxable but diapers, wipes and car seats are. For anyone that may doubt that, here are some screenshots of Walmart Canada’s online checkout for diapers, wipes and car seats. Notice the tax? Yeah, me too.
How is this fair? How is it that the basic essentials for my child (diapers and wipes) have tax but a cupcake doesn’t? How is it fair that something that I am LEGALLY required to own and something that is imperative to child safety has tax? CRA, I hate to be the one to say it, but you fucked up on this.
I understand that groceries are a basic need. People need food to survive and I am totally okay with basic items not having tax. In fact, I am glad that I don’t have to pay tax on things like milk, produce, meat, bread and canned goods. But a cupcake should be taxable. I don’t care if it’s a single portion or not. I would happily pay tax on a cupcake if it meant that I didn’t have to pay tax on diapers, wipes, car seats and other baby related necessities. And I am willing to bet that most Canadian parents would agree with that statement.
So please, get your shit together. Figure this stuff out. I don’t like being mad at you. When I was mad at you last year it took me a few months to get over it and I really don’t want to go down that road again, okay?
Just to clarify and make this simple for you, I’ll break it down. Please revise taxes so that it reflects the following :
CUPCAKES : TAXABLE
DIAPERS: NON- TAXABLE
WIPES: NON-TAXABLE
CAR SEATS: NON- TAXABLE
Please look into this. It’s very important to parents everywhere. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I’d leave you my contact information but we both know you already have it.
Much appreciated,
Katie
You Definitely have point on the carseat for sure. Things that you are legally required to own should not be taxed. However, as a conservative American, I don’t believe there is anything we should be legally required to own.
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lol This post gave me a good laugh, but on the serious things I totally agree with you. I could even lean a bit on things like diapers, because I suppose that technically (TECHNICALLY, mind you) they’re an item that you’re CHOOSING to buy, but something like a car seat that the law tells you you must have or you could face legal repercussions…yeah, those totally shouldn’t be taxable. Complete BS.
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Yeah, if I legally need to own something then really, it shouldn’t be taxed! Damn government!!
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Here here!
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Just a quick FYI, the CRA does not set what is taxed and what is not taxed. The CRA is income tax, not goods and service and provincial taxes. Totally different branch of Government. I’ll never understand why some things are taxed and others aren’t.
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I actually realized that after the fact. But either way it was a vent session for me. Looks like I’ll need to forward this to the department of finance, though I’ll need to clean up my language haha
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Hi there. Great post 🙂 I totally agree with cupcakes being taxed.
As of July 1st, 2010, Nova Scotians only pay 5% tax on diapers, feminine hygiene products, kids clothes and kids shoes. NS eliminated their part of the tax (10%) and we are only required to pay the federal portion (5%).
It isn’t tax free but 5% is better than 15% 🙂
http://www.novascotia.ca/finance/en/home/taxation/tax101/hst/hstforfamilies.aspx
http://www.novascotia.ca/finance/en/home/taxation/tax101/hst/default.aspx
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5% sure does beat 15%, but I still find it baffling that cupcakes have no tax! Oh well, small victories right? At least I can enjoy a cupcake without having to give anything to the government 🙂
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Oh please don’t clean up your language for them! I’m sure they’ve heard worse!!! I think we all just get tired as it seems every time we turn around our taxes are going up or we’re getting taxed to death on things that we have no choice but to buy!
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That’s what’s so annoying about this. They are every day essentials!! And I love that you don’t think it’s necessary to clean up my language lol
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Truer words have never been spoken! While I do enjoy a cupcake… more often than I care to admit… that is just brutal that there is no tax on this and yet I am paying tax on all my baby gear… annoying!
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It’s so bizarre. I mean, when I’m premenstrual I really enjoy my tax free cupcakes lol, but realistically I’d much rather tax free diapers!
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Cool it, Katie: cupcakes are in most cases GST taxable. The cashier or till programmer likely just made a mistake. verify this for yourself here: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/gm/4-3/4-3-e.html and kindly stop picking on the CRA. Taxes are important to maintain our society, even the ones on carseats.
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My opinion, my blog 🙂
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And by the way, cupcakes can be exempt from taxes in certain instances. Reread the information you so kindly provided.
If taxes can be removed from sanitary pads and tampons then it can be removed for diapers as well.
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you must work for CRA!
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If paying tax in your disposable diapers is too much for you, there’s this great new idea that definitely hasn’t been around forever in “cloth diapers.” You actually wash and reuse these, ending the need to continuously pay tax on diapers. There. I solved your “problem” for you.
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Thanks for informing me on information I already knew. But cloth diapers are also taxable.
My blog, my opinion. Don’t like it then kindly move on 🙂
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And…laundry detergent is taxable…for washing those diapers….unless you beat them on a rock in a stream, I suppose haha
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Lol exactly!
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To kblackie, have you tried an online petition with change.org? You might be able to get enough signatures from other parents to help your cause if you do plan on taking this matter higher. I am a parent who would sign, amd I know a lot more who would. I don’t find it right that we have to pay taxes on items a child needs to be clean, safe, etc.
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That is a GREAT idea! I will have to get one started this weekend 🙂 thanks you!
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This totally made me laugh out loud! And if Kyle (presumably a male, which also made me laugh) is so excited about cloth diapering, let HIM clean them!! Plus they are about as expensive for 1 as a box of 100 or more disposables so really how much are you saving? Saving tax on diapers and carseat would leave more money for cupcakes too!
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Kyle obviously has no idea how expensive cloth diapering is! The diapers are about $30 a piece and you easily need 20 of them, plus you have to wash them so hello higher power bill plus extra laundry detergent (which is also taxable). Of course a man would make the suggestion lol
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lol nice venting… I’m not sure how they pick what is taxed and what isn’t but I’m sure there are soooo many things on both sides that get looked over. There are so many items in the world for that not to happen
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I have no idea what their logic is!
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My guess to their logic is “where can we get more money to help pay down our deficit”?
Hmmmm
Katie s car seat I’m going to force her to have to buy repeatedly , the diaper wipes she will need to clean her baby’s bum and any morsel of the cupcake that slips out of the wrapper and her crawling carpet cleaner doesn’t eat, the carpet crawlers diapers (to some of us carpet crawlers predated our Central vacs and hoovers that also require taxable bags for their waste)
Vs her premenstrual single cupcake only used a few times throughout her months/year?
Well…if you’re Canadian and from Ontario, you just know we are f#$@ed because there really is no logical side to our Government lol sad but true
And Kyle, Kyle, Kyle…..clearly you are a male child who has yet to live out his fettish of purchasing, wearing, soiling AND cleaning your $30.00 cloth diaper…ohhhhh and don’t forget to buy lot’s of taxable peneten cream for your delicate ass and tiny baby balls that just got a nasty ass yeast infection because it turns out you had a severe allergic reaction to the taxable laundry detergent you used to clean your cloth diapers, because…I’m just going to take a guess at this…you bought your detergent at the dollar store…
Just sayin….in Ontario Canada we will enjoy every fn bite of our tax free cupcakes….even if we have to line up for 7 different transactions to get 7 taxfree cupcakes we will….so take that and stick it up your CRA 😛
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Lol this made me giggle haha
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And let’s not forget feminine hygiene products. Something so necessary as a Tampon is also taxed. #NotFair
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I’m not sure where you’re from, but as of July 1, 2015 tampons and sanitary pads no longer have tax in Canada. Small victories!
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I’m in the US. We’re backwards over here. 😦
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Ah that’s unfortunate. Such an essential item really shouldn’t be taxable!
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I completely agree that “essential” items should not have tax. Basic food items, feminine hygiene products, and so on. Diapers, wipes, car seats, etc. are NOT “essential” items…they ARE essential to the raising of your child, but the government didn’t decide you were going to have a child, you made that choice. However, that same government gives you child tax benefit, and income tax deductions because you made that choice…so i’m sure at the end of the day you’re actually getting your tax back and then some. I get the argument of “the government requires me to have a car seat” but if that wasn’t law…would you not buy one?
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while I can appreciate your point, I still don’t think a cupcake is an essential item. And you’re right, I chose to raise a child but if millions of people didn’t make that choice, we would have a severely declining population. Tax the cupcakes, not the diapers. That’s all I’m asking.
Also, it’s very presumptions to assume I get child tax benefit or tax breaks.
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