What to know
- Toronto residents say rising grocery prices are putting growing pressure on household budgets.
- Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles launched a “No Tax on Food” petition calling for HST to be removed from all food and drink items.
- The proposal would include prepared meals, deli foods and snacks that are currently taxed.
- Some Torontonians told Now Toronto the measure could help offset increasingly expensive grocery bills.
- Manitoba previously introduced a similar grocery tax removal initiative.
Grocery shopping in Toronto is becoming increasingly stressful for many residents, with some locals saying even basic essentials now feel difficult to afford.
Now, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles is pushing a proposal to remove HST from all food and drink purchases in hopes of easing some of that pressure.
Recently, Torontonians told Now Toronto what’s been hurting their wallet the most. Most answers reflected gas prices, but many also mentioned groceries.
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What is Marit Stiles’ ‘No Tax on Food’ proposal?
Stiles’ “No Tax On Food” would remove the HST from all food and drink, including prepared meals, deli food and snacks.
Manitoba has already successfully removed the grocery tax, so Stiles is pushing for Ontario to do the same.
The initiative would also require the government to stop blocking cheaper competitors from opening nearby through big grocery chains such as Loblaws or Sobeys.
‘It adds up’: Torontonians react to rising grocery bills
Toronto resident Marina S. believes everything is expensive, so this no-tax-on-food initiative will be more budget-friendly.
“The deli section is really expensive, like chicken… Toronto, as a city, is anyway very expensive when it comes to renting and utilities,” she told Now Toronto.
She believes both inflation and grocery chains hike up prices.
“Something that is imported from outside, obviously, with the geopolitical situation going on right now, I understand why the prices would be inflated, but anything that’s locally produced, I think I don’t see a reason why the prices should be so high,” Marina explained.
She believes this initiative will be very helpful and should definitely be instituted in Ontario.
“If one province could do it, then why not?” Marina said.
Which grocery items are frustrating Toronto shoppers most?
Toronto resident Jacob A. agrees, saying the cost of groceries is “a little bit out of control.”
“They’re definitely quite expensive. I know it’s going with the inflation curve, so you know I’m kind of hoping in the next couple of years as everything’s getting cheaper, or everything like market houses, houses are going down, hopefully groceries can kind of come down with it,” he told Now Toronto.
One item, he alleges, has been going ridiculously high in price: yogurt — now costing $8 for a tub.
If Stiles’ proposal is approved, Jacob shared, that it would save him about $15-20 a week.
“It adds up a lot at the end of the day. That’s probably all the gas that I could have for a month,” he said.
But for Torontonian Jorin L., meat is getting more expensive.
“Ground beef and protein have gotten really expensive,” she told Now Toronto.
Jorin believes this is a big problem with corporate chains.
“If you look at the profits that these big grocery store corporations are making, I think they keep on growing exponentially, and it makes it really unaffordable for regular people to just afford groceries,” she explained.
As a fan of Marit Stiles, Jorin says she loves what the politician believes and would be interested in learning more and potentially signing the petition.
Check out the “No Tax On Food” petition here.
