PRIME Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday reaffirmed that a re-elected Conservative Government will not regulate or tax over-the-top digital services such as Netflix.
“As a government we have sought to increase consumer choice and keep taxes low and that’s not going to change,” Harper said. “Some politicians though are always looking for new things to tax.”
Stakeholders and other levels of government have called for regulation and taxation of Netflix and other online services. The Harper Government has rejected these calls and will continue to do so if re-elected.
“We will never tax Netflix or other online streaming services” he reaffirmed.
Harper observed that both NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau have opened the door to future taxation of Netflix. Both the NDP and the Liberals have called on Netflix to provide “detailed information about their services, such as consumers’ habits” and more “data on over-the-top services, with a particular focus on consumer habits.”
“The choice is clear,” he pointed out. “If you like watching Netflix or videos online, only voting Conservative will stop a Netflix Tax.”