When last year's provincial budget came out, one of the most contentious aspects was the implementation of the provincial sales tax on a variety of items, ranging from gym memberships to golf course green fees to event tickets.
Thankfully, the PST implementation was repealed for gym memberships before it was ever enforced. Those that operate fitness centres went through enough challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic; they didn't need another hurdle by making it more difficult for people to use their facilities.
Any government should always think twice when it comes to making it more difficult for people to live healthy lifestyles.
At last week's meeting of Estevan city council, we received a reminder of impacts of PST being applied to event tickets and passes.
Coun. Travis Frank brought forward concerns from a couple of non-profit community groups, namely the Estevan Exhibition Association and the Souris Valley Theatre, and how the PST could impact their ticket sales.
City manager Jeff Ward was quick to add that a lot of concert tours are now averting Saskatchewan and focusing on Alberta and Manitoba.
In the case of the Souris Valley theatre, this is a long-standing tourist attraction in the Estevan area that has managed to keep going despite the challenges associated with a devastating flood and a pandemic. You would hope the PST wouldn't create another issue to overcome.
This isn't a large theatre that generates millions of dollars in ticket sales each year. This is a seasonal attraction that has a short season with a main-stage show and possibly a couple of short-run productions. Still, it has brought plenty of joy to local residents and visitors alike, and it has given talented performers a chance to shine.
As for the exhibition association, its big event, the Energy City Ex., happens over four days in June. You would hope the PST wouldn't discourage people from taking in those activities.
As for concerts, we've been eagerly awaiting the resumption of shows at Affinity Place. We've had one since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, that being the Dallas Smith concert that Estevan earned after it won the SiriusXM Music Towns contest in the summer.
It was difficult to have concerts at Affinity Place during the 2022-23 ice sports season, because of the two provincial curling events that occupied the events centre for three weeks. But we haven't seen anything announced for Estevan for this spring and summer.
Concert tickets aren't cheap. For a $100 ticket, the PST means an added $6. But if you want to go with a few friends, the cost adds up. With the higher cost of living due to inflation, it's just another reason for some people to stay away. Or it might mean not getting a snack at a concession or an alcoholic drink from a beverage stand.
We certainly want to see the resumption of concerts at Affinity Place, with two or three quality shows a year. These shows are not only a source of entertainment in the community, they bring people to the city and create a nice economic spinoff for the hospitality sector.
(And we want to see live music at other venues in the community, too. Places like the Orpheum, Art Concepts Custom Framing and some local restaurants have had some great shows).
Perhaps the government needs to look at scrapping the PST on ticket sales for non-profits. Or maybe it needs to look at having a threshold. If the organization falls below a certain level of revenue for a year, then it doesn't have to charge PST. Or if the individual event doesn't reach a certain attendance, then the PST isn't applied.
Or the government, which has a $1 billion surplus forecasted for this year's budget, could just put this plan on hiatus until it finds a way in which it's not harming smaller non-profit organizations.
It might have seemed like a good way to bring in some extra revenues for the province, but the PST on ticket sales is having some consequences the government might not have considered.
