Dear Stephen:
I hesitate to bother you while you’re enjoying your vacation from all the whiners and complainers on Parliament Hill but I just have to write and thank you for something you have done for my household.
I know you sometimes seem remote and awkward when regular folks try to engage you in conversation, but deep down we know you’re a pussy cat at heart. No one who plays piano and loves hockey can be as bad as those Liberals and NDPers suggest.
The topic I’d like to address in this communication is the home renovation tax credit program, part of the economic action plan you and your colleagues put in place to help with home improvements which in turn encouraged spending which in turn helped the economy.
You, Stephen, don’t have to worry about home improvements and renovations because the money collected from your faithful subjects looks after those mundane chores for your family.
We common folk, however, have to pay our own bills for any modifications we do to our homes and yards, so therefore, we’re extremely grateful that you offered us a tax credit if we did our part to get the economy moving.
This project couldn’t have come at a better time for our household. We’d been contemplating some improvements, and your incentive gave us the kick in the pants we needed to get at it and get it done.
The rules, thankfully, were broad enough that most of what we had planned fit quite nicely with the listed criteria — being of an enduring nature and integral to the property — which made sense in a governmental, bureaucratic sort of way — for why would a homeowner spend money on something that isn’t integral to his/her property?
The value of the work was to fall within the $1,000 to $10,000 range and at the beginning, we didn’t think we would scoot over that maximum figure. But Stephen, you might be surprised at how much we as one household did to help the economy.
Some of the allowable items include a deck-patio (did it), fence (did one), a shed (signed up for an amazing one of those), perennials, shrubs and flowers (planted some but a few died) and new sod (we cultivated the ground but didn’t quite get to the sod so will pass on that item).
And then there’s the furnace. We hadn’t planned that one but as luck would have it, about six or seven weeks before the program’s spending deadline, we were advised that our furnace boiler had major problems, problems that would most easily be fixed by the purchase of one of those energy-efficient models that would reduce our heat bills, keep our house warmer with less effort, and would act as a water heater besides. Put a check mark beside furnace.
So now, Stephen, with receipts in hand, and income tax booklets on the cupboard, we look forward with much appreciation to the $1,300 tax credit we’ve been promised. We’ve done our part and now the puck is on your stick, so to speak.
I do have one suggestion for you to consider should you decide to extend or expand this program. One of the ineligible items listed was house cleaning services.
In my opinion, house cleaning is of an enduring nature and is integral to the property, and therefore should be included. Check with Mrs. Stephen for her opinion on that suggestion.
Meanwhile, thanks again Stephen, and please enjoy your extended holiday. If you are ever in town, why not drop by and enjoy the comfort of our new heating device. After all, you helped pay for it.
Joyce Walter can be reached at 691-1259.
