On reserve? Check your phone bill

On reserve? Check your phone bill.

If you’re paying tax on it, you shouldn’t be. Some Saskatchewan First Nations people living on reserve say they are being taxed. Amos Ratt of Lac La Ronge Indian Band has been paying tax on his phone for decades, and didn’t know that, according to the Indian Act, he should be exempt. Advocate Ron Warner said he has called SaskTel a number of times to tell them that on-reserve status residents are tax-free. “They refuse to stop charging tax. They say that each person has to complain individually,” said Warner. SaskTel said First Nations people need to provide a treaty card number to be exempt from federal GST and provincial PST. The company reimburses customers on a case-by-case basis. Canada Revenue said it will accept complaints if customers  do not get reimbursed.