New Electronics Tax Won’t Help Recycling

The McGuinty government has been trying to sneak through another new tax under the noses of unsuspecting Ontario consumers. The government ordered Waste Diversion Ontario to create a plan to deal with electronics waste starting with computers, printers, monitors and fax machines. The plan creates a new unelected and unaccountable organization - Ontario Electronic Stewardship - to set the new tax rates to be imposed on manufacturers and assemblers. When the companies mark up the tax and pass it along starting early in 2009, consumers will be on the hook for over $104 million in new costs for a tax that will do little to increase recycling.