SUPPORT THE MASSAGE THERAPY PROFESSION

HST Will Harm Patients and the Profession, Take Action Now!

As a colleague within the profession of massage therapy, or as a patient/friend of a Registered Massage Therapist, we want you to be aware of the impact of the recent announcement from the Minister of Finance to harmonize Ontario’s retail sales tax with the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST).  This change will result in the application of a 13% tax to the services of a Registered Massage Therapy.  This will cause harm to both patients and RMTs.

Massage therapy is not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), instead, these services are paid directly by patients, either out-of-pocket or through their extended health benefit programs. The introduction of HST will mean that:

• By adding the 8% tax, given that massage therapy is already taxed under the federal Goods and Services Tax, Ontarians will be paying more for health care services, either from their own income or through their extended health benefit plan;
• With less funding available, patients will be forced to reduce the frequency with which they seek treatment, both for injuries and on-going preventive health care, or eliminate these services entirely;
• This reduction in services will cause a direct impact on the health and well-being of many Ontarians and, in the long term, will affect Government spending in other areas of health care.

The reduction in the funds patients have available, either individually or through an extended health benefit plan, will result in a reduction in services sought by Ontarians.  The profession is already facing significant economic distress.  The introduction of the HST will mean that:

• RMTs will face increased economic difficulties operating their practices as the available funding for massage therapy is reduced and therefore patients seek fewer or no services;
• The economic downturn, coupled with the recently announced increase in annual registration fees from the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario, an increase that is necessary in order to sustain the self-regulatory model, will only serve to make matters worse for many RMTs;
• The inability of the profession to sustain itself will result in fewer massage therapists and an inability of the profession to maintain the regulatory structures.

Massage Therapists are regulated under Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) and they are a valuable part of the health care regime for Ontarians, both in terms of the rehabilitative and preventative nature of the practice.  Its time for Ontarians and RMTs to stand up together and let your voice be heard by the Ontario Government.  Here is what you can do:

Send an e-mail message to the Premier and Minister of Finance.  Using our e-Action Now feature. Complete the information required and hit "submit".  A standard e-mail (the text for which is detailed below) will be sent on your behalf.

Send a letter to the Premier, Minister of Finance and your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).  A letter to be used by patients/friends and Registered Massage Therapists is provided here in a printable format.  Please print it and hand write the name of your Member of Provincial Parliament along with the constituency address in the area provided on the letter.  Click here to find the address of your local MPP.

Download Letter for RMTs + Patients (PDF)

RMTs, print copies of the letter above and make them available to all of your patients.  (You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system to open this file.  If you don't have that program, or if your existing version will not work, please visit Adobe.com for a free download of the newest version)

Together, we can make a difference!

Click here to fill out the Electronic Letter Submission via the Ontario Massage Therapy Association website.