Supreme Court of Canada Reserves Judgement After Two Days of Hearings in "Carbon Tax" Dispute:
Following two days of hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Canada chose to reserve judgement in the critical "carbon tax" series of cases, which unites three separate appeals from the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, into one challenge against the Federal tax on most carbon emissions "the carbon tax." This means that a final decision on the matter could still be months away.
The hearings saw the Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Manitoba argue in support of the position of the three appealing provinces, while British Columbia made submissions in support of the carbon tax.
Click here for the Supreme Court of Canada's Archives of the Hearings. Read more from the National Post here and Global News here.
European Union Appeals Apple Inc. - Ireland Back-Taxes Decision Worth $15 Billion (US):
The European Union Commission is appealing a EU General Court ruling which decided that Apple Inc. did not have to pay back nearly $15 Billion USD in what was argued to be illegal state aid from Ireland. The issue at hand was a reduced tax agreement between Apple Inc. and the Irish government. The EU Commission is appealing the decision to the highest court in the Union, the European Court of Justice.
In a statement announcing the decision to appeal, the Vice President of the EU Commission, Margrethe Vestager, said that the European Union's intent is to have all companies operating in the Union pay their "fair share" of taxes. Vestager continued, noting that "otherwise, the public purse and citizens are deprived of funds for much needed investments - the need for which is even more acute now to support Europe's economic recovery."
Read more from the Toronto Star here and MSN.com here.
City of Toronto Considers "Vacancy Tax" on Empty Homes and Condos:
The City of Toronto is reportedly considering a so-called "vacancy tax" on empty homes and condominium units, similar to measures introduced in other jurisdictions facing a critical lack of available housing stock, such as Vancouver. The City of Toronto's "HousingTO 2020-2030" action plan makes reference to the potential measure, and notes that revenues coming from any potential tax should be directed toward funding public housing in the City.
Staff at the City of Toronto are planning to introduce a report on the matter to City Council later this year.
Read the "HoustingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan" here. Read more from the Toronto Sun here and BlogTO here.
No Sales Tax in The Northwest Territories says Territorial Finance Minister:
The Finance Minister of the Northwest Territories, Caroline Wawzonek, says that there are no plans to introduce a sales tax in the Territory anytime soon, after local media reporting claimed that the Territorial Government was considering introducing such a measure. In a statement to media in response to the rumours, the Minister said that "growing the private sector economy is a key priority for this government, which would not be consistent with the introduction of a sales tax at this time."
The Northwest Territories are one of four Provincial/Territorial jurisdictions in Canada which has no provincial/territorial sales tax. The Province of Alberta, as well as the Nunavut and Yukon Territories' also do not have provincial/territorial sales tax.
Read more from CBC News here.