Quebec balks at waiving LBM sales tax

Quebec will not follow the federal government in waiving taxes on building materials for rental housing, Premier François Legault said this week. “We are looking at several [other] scenarios to help tenants,” said the premier. “We don’t think it would be the most effective measure in the short term.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced earlier this month that GST on materials for the construction of new rental buildings would be eliminated, reviving a shelved 2015 campaign promise. Finance minister Eric Girard estimated that a similar move by Quebec would cost the province $1.5 billion.