KUWAIT CITY: Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says he doesn’t agree with the loss of a tax break for a number of military personnel serving in Kuwait, and that’s why he’s asked the chief of defence staff to review the matter.
During a media teleconference from Brussels on Thursday, Sajjan said he’s “not in agreement” with the current outcome of the tax exemption calculations.
“That’s why I’ve asked the chief of defence staff to work with the other departments to review this and look at the guidelines, look at the changes that we need to make, because we need to make sure that we look after the troops,” he said.
CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson has reported that military personnel who regularly go into Iraq are among the Canadian troops losing a tax exemption because the military decided they do not face high enough risk.
The tax breaks, worth between $1,500 to $1,800 per month, are provided to soldiers who meet certain criteria related to the risk of their duties and the relative hardship of their living conditions while deployed overseas.
Fifteen soldiers at the Camp Arfijan base in Kuwait lost the tax break in September, after the military downgraded the risk level. As of June, 300 more soldiers stationed in Kuwait will no longer be eligible.
