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Local MP introduces bill to create tax credit for home security systems

EAST CENTRAL — A local MP has introduced legislation that would give a tax credit for home security systems. Randy Hoback, the MP for Prince Albert, introduced his act to amend the Income Tax Act on Feb. 26.
randy-hoback

EAST CENTRAL — A local MP has introduced legislation that would give a tax credit for home security systems.

Randy Hoback, the MP for Prince Albert, introduced his act to amend the Income Tax Act on Feb. 26. If passed, it would create a non-refundable tax credit that would be applied to the installation, maintenance, and monitoring of a security system within an individual’s property. This would also include any structure that is separate from an individual’s home, such as a garage or barn.

The maximum dollar amount eligible for tax credit application is $5,000 per year.

“Like many constituencies in rural Canada, the Prince Albert riding is being ravaged by increasing crime rates,” Hoback said in a media release. “Through the town halls I have hosted and attended, and from the many discussions I have held with my constituents, it is clear that rural Canadians are calling for action on this file.”

In May of last year, Statistics Canada reported there were 6,210 Criminal Code violations per 100,000 people nationally in rural areas in 2017. In Saskatchewan, the rate was 13,829 per 100,000 people – over double the national average. In the Prairie provinces in 2017, rates in rural areas were 36 per cent to 42 per cent higher than in urban areas.

Hoback’s office said the bill is part of a suite of legislation aimed at addressing rural crime that members of the Conservative Party’s Rural Crime Caucus plan to introduce during this parliamentary session.

“This legislation is an important step to address the issue of rural crime and help all Canadians feel safer in their homes,” Hoback said.