Buddhist Calls Income Tax Policies Discriminatory

October 17, 2005

Original Source: CBC News

https://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=66,1832,0,0,1,0

On October 17, 2005 CBC News reported, "A Buddhist says the Income Tax Act is discriminatory because he can't deduct the cost of alternative medical treatments for his allergies and environmental sensitivities. Frank Tall, a math professor at the University of Toronto, is using the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to challenge the act in Tax Court. 'I think taxpayers should be offered a choice as to what kind of medicine they want rather than only having one kind tax-deductible,' he told CBC News. Tall spends about $5,000 a year on homeopathic treatments, including vitamins and herbal remedies. He has been trying to claim a medical deduction since filing his 2001 tax return, but the claim has always been rejected. He said that breaches the equality section of the charter. 'We contend that it constitutes religious and ethnic discrimination,' he said. Tall cites the Buddhist belief that 'illness is caused by getting out of harmony with nature and is cured by restoring that harmony.'"