Sugar Rush Small Business Owners Scramble For Answers As Nl Implements Sugar Tax

As Newfoundland and Labrador implement the sugar tax, some retailers are scratching their heads, saying they have more questions than answers. From Thursday, the new tax will add 20 cents to the cost of a liter of a wide range of sugary drinks. While the provincial government says the tax will improve public health by discouraging sugary drink consumption, critics say it will disproportionately hurt low-income earners — and some retailers say they’re still not sure how the program works. Alex Mugford, manager of the family-owned Mae’s Variety in Conception Bay South, says his family has been left wondering what to do, thanks to what he says is a lack of communication from the provincial government. “The only information we were given was an email from one of our wholesalers,” Mugford said. “It has a link to the government website, which has some promotional material that we can print. They sent us a sample invoice to see what all future invoices will look like. As far as getting information from the government, we haven’t received any. It was expected to let’s go and find the information ourselves.” From the information Mugford was able to find, he says it appears the business will have to make monthly payments. “We have to figure out what we’re selling per month, and then we have to write a check to the government and send it in,” Mugford said. “We need to start watching things much more closely.” While Mugford remains uncertain how the implementation of the sugar tax will change business practices in the long term, he expects the process to be confusing for businesses and consumers alike. The tax should be handled between the province and the wholesalers, he said, not at the treasury. “Information is king in these types of businesses,” Mugford said. “They know how to contact us. I would love to be sent an information pack explaining everything in detail [about how] we can implement this. This is a confusing and unnecessarily complex tax.” Business owners say the tax should be dealt with between the government and wholesalers, not at the till. (The National/CBC Archives)

Mass confusion

Lynn Boyd, who owns Boyd’s Convenience in Main Brook, says she has had little contact with government officials and is baffled. Boyd says there were better ways to implement the tax, which she believes is completely unnecessary. “I think they should have put it as a two or three percent tax increase, [rather than] everywhere,” Boyd said. The rates don’t make sense. Seven cents on a can of booze, but 40 cents on a two-liter? When you’re a small store and you’re checking everything manually, I don’t have a button to schedule all of that. “How do you memorize what changes and what it means? There will be a lot of confusion.” Speaking in mid-August at the launch of a government campaign urging people to reconsider their drinks choices, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said retailers were “working to be ready for this because they know in law it is a requirement to be ready for September”. “It’s the way we collect taxes on cigarettes, for example. So they’re used to the process, they just have to develop their processes and develop their technology to be able to return them to the government,” he said. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

title: “Sugar Rush Small Business Owners Scramble For Answers As Nl Implements Sugar Tax Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Willie Christman”

As Newfoundland and Labrador implement the sugar tax, some retailers are scratching their heads, saying they have more questions than answers. From Thursday, the new tax will add 20 cents to the cost of a liter of a wide range of sugary drinks. While the provincial government says the tax will improve public health by discouraging sugary drink consumption, critics say it will disproportionately hurt low-income earners — and some retailers say they’re still not sure how the program works. Alex Mugford, manager of the family-owned Mae’s Variety in Conception Bay South, says his family has been left wondering what to do, thanks to what he says is a lack of communication from the provincial government. “The only information we were given was an email from one of our wholesalers,” Mugford said. “It has a link to the government website, which has some promotional material that we can print. They sent us a sample invoice to see what all future invoices will look like. As far as getting information from the government, we haven’t received any. It was expected to let’s go and find the information ourselves.” From the information Mugford was able to find, he says it appears the business will have to make monthly payments. “We have to figure out what we’re selling per month, and then we have to write a check to the government and send it in,” Mugford said. “We need to start watching things much more closely.” While Mugford remains uncertain how the implementation of the sugar tax will change business practices in the long term, he expects the process to be confusing for businesses and consumers alike. The tax should be handled between the province and the wholesalers, he said, not at the treasury. “Information is king in these types of businesses,” Mugford said. “They know how to contact us. I would love to be sent an information pack explaining everything in detail [about how] we can implement this. This is a confusing and unnecessarily complex tax.” Business owners say the tax should be dealt with between the government and wholesalers, not at the till. (The National/CBC Archives)

Mass confusion

Lynn Boyd, who owns Boyd’s Convenience in Main Brook, says she has had little contact with government officials and is baffled. Boyd says there were better ways to implement the tax, which she believes is completely unnecessary. “I think they should have put it as a two or three percent tax increase, [rather than] everywhere,” Boyd said. The rates don’t make sense. Seven cents on a can of booze, but 40 cents on a two-liter? When you’re a small store and you’re checking everything manually, I don’t have a button to schedule all of that. “How do you memorize what changes and what it means? There will be a lot of confusion.” Speaking in mid-August at the launch of a government campaign urging people to reconsider their drinks choices, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said retailers were “working to be ready for this because they know in law it is a requirement to be ready for September”. “It’s the way we collect taxes on cigarettes, for example. So they’re used to the process, they just have to develop their processes and develop their technology to be able to return them to the government,” he said. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

title: “Sugar Rush Small Business Owners Scramble For Answers As Nl Implements Sugar Tax Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “Preston Asberry”

As Newfoundland and Labrador implement the sugar tax, some retailers are scratching their heads, saying they have more questions than answers. From Thursday, the new tax will add 20 cents to the cost of a liter of a wide range of sugary drinks. While the provincial government says the tax will improve public health by discouraging sugary drink consumption, critics say it will disproportionately hurt low-income earners — and some retailers say they’re still not sure how the program works. Alex Mugford, manager of the family-owned Mae’s Variety in Conception Bay South, says his family has been left wondering what to do, thanks to what he says is a lack of communication from the provincial government. “The only information we were given was an email from one of our wholesalers,” Mugford said. “It has a link to the government website, which has some promotional material that we can print. They sent us a sample invoice to see what all future invoices will look like. As far as getting information from the government, we haven’t received any. It was expected to let’s go and find the information ourselves.” From the information Mugford was able to find, he says it appears the business will have to make monthly payments. “We have to figure out what we’re selling per month, and then we have to write a check to the government and send it in,” Mugford said. “We need to start watching things much more closely.” While Mugford remains uncertain how the implementation of the sugar tax will change business practices in the long term, he expects the process to be confusing for businesses and consumers alike. The tax should be handled between the province and the wholesalers, he said, not at the treasury. “Information is king in these types of businesses,” Mugford said. “They know how to contact us. I would love to be sent an information pack explaining everything in detail [about how] we can implement this. This is a confusing and unnecessarily complex tax.” Business owners say the tax should be dealt with between the government and wholesalers, not at the till. (The National/CBC Archives)

Mass confusion

Lynn Boyd, who owns Boyd’s Convenience in Main Brook, says she has had little contact with government officials and is baffled. Boyd says there were better ways to implement the tax, which she believes is completely unnecessary. “I think they should have put it as a two or three percent tax increase, [rather than] everywhere,” Boyd said. The rates don’t make sense. Seven cents on a can of booze, but 40 cents on a two-liter? When you’re a small store and you’re checking everything manually, I don’t have a button to schedule all of that. “How do you memorize what changes and what it means? There will be a lot of confusion.” Speaking in mid-August at the launch of a government campaign urging people to reconsider their drinks choices, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said retailers were “working to be ready for this because they know in law it is a requirement to be ready for September”. “It’s the way we collect taxes on cigarettes, for example. So they’re used to the process, they just have to develop their processes and develop their technology to be able to return them to the government,” he said. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

title: “Sugar Rush Small Business Owners Scramble For Answers As Nl Implements Sugar Tax Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-27” author: “Susan Morris”

As Newfoundland and Labrador implement the sugar tax, some retailers are scratching their heads, saying they have more questions than answers. From Thursday, the new tax will add 20 cents to the cost of a liter of a wide range of sugary drinks. While the provincial government says the tax will improve public health by discouraging sugary drink consumption, critics say it will disproportionately hurt low-income earners — and some retailers say they’re still not sure how the program works. Alex Mugford, manager of the family-owned Mae’s Variety in Conception Bay South, says his family has been left wondering what to do, thanks to what he says is a lack of communication from the provincial government. “The only information we were given was an email from one of our wholesalers,” Mugford said. “It has a link to the government website, which has some promotional material that we can print. They sent us a sample invoice to see what all future invoices will look like. As far as getting information from the government, we haven’t received any. It was expected to let’s go and find the information ourselves.” From the information Mugford was able to find, he says it appears the business will have to make monthly payments. “We have to figure out what we’re selling per month, and then we have to write a check to the government and send it in,” Mugford said. “We need to start watching things much more closely.” While Mugford remains uncertain how the implementation of the sugar tax will change business practices in the long term, he expects the process to be confusing for businesses and consumers alike. The tax should be handled between the province and the wholesalers, he said, not at the treasury. “Information is king in these types of businesses,” Mugford said. “They know how to contact us. I would love to be sent an information pack explaining everything in detail [about how] we can implement this. This is a confusing and unnecessarily complex tax.” Business owners say the tax should be dealt with between the government and wholesalers, not at the till. (The National/CBC Archives)

Mass confusion

Lynn Boyd, who owns Boyd’s Convenience in Main Brook, says she has had little contact with government officials and is baffled. Boyd says there were better ways to implement the tax, which she believes is completely unnecessary. “I think they should have put it as a two or three percent tax increase, [rather than] everywhere,” Boyd said. The rates don’t make sense. Seven cents on a can of booze, but 40 cents on a two-liter? When you’re a small store and you’re checking everything manually, I don’t have a button to schedule all of that. “How do you memorize what changes and what it means? There will be a lot of confusion.” Speaking in mid-August at the launch of a government campaign urging people to reconsider their drinks choices, Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said retailers were “working to be ready for this because they know in law it is a requirement to be ready for September”. “It’s the way we collect taxes on cigarettes, for example. So they’re used to the process, they just have to develop their processes and develop their technology to be able to return them to the government,” he said. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador