Tories to double children’s fitness tax credit

WHITBY, Ont. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the federal Conservatives will fulfill a three-year-old election promise to double the children’s fitness tax credit.

It will allow parents to claim a tax credit on up to $1,000 in fees they pay to register their child for a program of eligible physical activities, such as hockey or sailing.

He says parents can claim the credit in the spring of next year when they file their tax returns for 2014.

Harper says the credit will be made refundable in the 2015 tax year to help low-income families.

It’s among a number of campaign promises the Tories made in 2011 that were contingent on balancing the books.

Harper says there won’t be a surplus until the 2015-16 election year, but announced last week that the federal deficit in the past fiscal year will be $5.2 billion, a fraction of what had been forecast.