Last Friday, Canada’s Saskatchewan Party announced a series of tax hikes for its provincial parks. Included in the hike: a $2 increase to the daily camping fee, doubling the reservation service fee to $10, and a new $7 charge when reservations are changed. The fee increases will mean $1.25 million more for government each year, says a local paper in Saskatchewan.
The Star Phoenix says Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) is calling the increases an “unhappy camper tax.”
According to its article, “[Opponents] said the Saskatchewan Party pledged it would keep camping rates affordable after forming government late last year, yet on Friday announced a slate of fee hikes without a clear explanation.”
“I know that many campers are reconsidering their summer plans for next summer because of these increases, so I think the government should reconsider the ill-advised Christmas present to Saskatchewan campers,” attributed the paper to a member of the legislative assembly.
Apparently, the cost of seasonal campsites is also going up, including an increase to $1,500 from $830 for those with electricity that are located near washroom services centers.
The paper cites Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Christine Tell saying that under-valuing the parks could have a psychological impact on would-be campers: “People thought maybe it’s so cheap that maybe we were not going to come and visit the parks.”
Tell says: “When we looked at the increased costs in managing a park, whether it be staffing costs, fixing up the construction on a particular piece of property like the washrooms and the shower facilities, those costs have increased. And so we’re attempting to re-balance what has traditionally been the percentage of user pay and government pay.”
According to the paper, the fee increases have also been criticized as hypocritical. “The Saskacthewan Party used to frequently slam the $3-a-day campfire fee, decrying it as a ‘wiener roast tax’ that it cancelled once in government.”
Find inexpensive ways to enjoy the outdoors with articles from Coast.
[photo: www.fintastique.com]
