April 16, 2024

It is with deep disappointment that thousands of Registered Massage Therapists and millions of their patients across Canada greeted today’s (April16, 2024) Federal Budget that did not include provisions to exempt massage therapy from collecting and remitting HST.
Despite support from members of all the main political parties and direct appeals to the Minister of Finance herself, the budget did not address the issue, nor has the government offered indication on when the exemption will be put in place as it has for other registered healthprofessions meeting established criteria.
Massage therapy is a regulated health profession in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. The Province of Saskatchewan has also enacted legislation
to regulate the profession, which will be in force once a regulatory college is established and approved. As massage therapy is a regulated health profession in at least five provinces and our profession universally supports exemption, that means the criteria for removing HST has been met.
“After more than two years of requests and literally, hundreds of meetings, emails, letters, phone call and texts, the government has failed to meet its own legislated requirements and the mandate to keep healthcare costs affordable for Canadians,” says Executive Director and CEO of the
Registered Massage Therapist Association of Ontario (RMTAO), Michael Feraday.
The RMTAO has received full support from Ontario’s Minister of Health as well as members of the Official opposition both Federally and Provincially to move forward with HST exemption.
The government acknowledges that, by both federal and provincial statutes, healthcare is mandated to equally provide Canadians with accessible and affordable healthcare, and, in doing so, where health professions are regulated in five or more provinces, those services are eligible to
be exempt from HST/GST taxes.
In addition, Massage Therapists across Canada have sent letters to their respective MPsrequesting the exemption and RMTAO has worked with federal offices and committees to put forward committee motions that would compel the government to act. A petition circulated from
December 11, 2023, to April 9, 2024 garnered 18,382 signatures from across Canada, in support of HST/GST exemption.
We are now reaching out for support to be included in the fall budget normally released in late October or early November. If need be,
we will also make HST exemption an issue for the next federal election mandated on or before October 2026.  Support exemption by signing the petition please!