The Standing Committee on Finance has begun its review of pre-budget consultations and horse racing participants are being reminded to contact their local members of parliament to speak out for tax fairness for Canadian farmers.

The Canadian federation of Agriculture (CFA) will continue to monitor this process and share information on these events with members; however, consultations are generally announced the day prior to their occurrence and we recommend that members contact their local members of parliament to get involved in these cross-country roundtables and share the perspectives of your organization and the CFA.

CFA speaking points are attached here, addressing a range of current issues, alongside a brief overview of the issues CFA raised in its pre-budget proposal.

Over the past year, Standardbred Canada has worked extensively with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to ensure tax fairness, related to Section 31 of the Income Tax Act.

After a favourable ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada in 2012, the 2013 Federal Budget threatens to deal a serious blow to participants in the horse racing industry, and the entire agriculture industry.

We encourage members to read the following letter, and make your voices heard.

It is vital that you share personal stories, and reinforce the need for government to support rural Canadians through fair and equitable tax laws. In particular, farmers facing difficulties relating to restricted farm losses should contact their members of parliament and ensure that they are aware of the impact that broadened restrictions will have on the sector as a whole.

To have your say, email your comments to Finance Canada at [email protected] and contact your local MP. To find contact information for your Member of Parliament, click here. MPs should be contacted as soon as possible, as these proposals will be debated in the fall house session.