In an attempt to improve Canadians’ health, Nova Scotia has become the first province in the country to offer tax credits for the cost of gym memberships and other physical activities such as skiing, dancing, swimming and more.

The Healthy Living Tax Credit was initially introduced to Nova Scotian’s in 2005 but was limited to children’s activities only. Now, all Nova Scotian’s are eligible to claim up to $500 of registration fees for organized sports/activities, and the policy is expected to pay huge dividends.

Supporters insist the tax credit will encourage more people to be active, resulting in a healthier population. Nova Scotia also estimates the tax credits will save $8 million a year in health care costs. Even more compelling is the result of a study conducted by the Fitness Industry Council of Canada. They found that introducing a federal adult fitness tax credit would encourage one million more Canadians to become active and over the next 21 years, would amount to $2.5 billion in health care savings.

I think this is a great initiative that should be expanded throughout Canada. More pressure should be placed on the Conservatives at the federal level to see such a program implemented throughout the country. Especially under these economic circumstances, a tax credit might be exactly what Canadians need to afford costly gym memberships and other activities that have been scaled back on, leading to unhealthy lives.

The United States should also look at Nova Scotia’s tax break model and consider implementing their own. Obesity in the United States has been a major health issue of late with the highest rates in the world with 64% of adults being overweight or obese.

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Tags: fitness, health, nova scotia, tax credit

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Provincial Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.