Ontario waives PST on bikes, helmets

Ontarianslooking to buy a bicycle or helmet as a Christmas present will get a break on the provincial sales tax effective Saturday.

The province will forgo about $25 million a year to give people a tax break on bicycles under $1,000, bike helmets and related safety equipment starting onDec. 1.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said the province is lifting the eight per cent sales tax on the bikes and helmets as a "Christmas treat for our families."

He said the idea is to encourage people to become more active and so more kids can experience what he calls the simple joy of riding a bike.

McGuinty also said he hopes the tax exemption will encourage people to get outdoors and perhaps even try commuting to work by bike, easingcongestion on the roads.

New Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best will hold a news conference Sunday at a Toronto bicycle shop to talk about the new tax incentive.