Outfitting growing kids for winter sports
By Amy Brown-Bowers • Bankrate.com
"We are dedicated to helping parents learn what their
children need and educate them on how the savings work as we promote
the trade-ins each year. Our customers can be assured that anything
bought at our stores will then be taken back the following year
towards other products that fit their kids," says Joey Schebesch,
owner of Play It Again Sports stores in Mississauga and Burlington,
Ont.
The chain "is well-known for its unique niche in buying
new and quality used sports gear, and then selling these items at
budget-friendly prices," says Warren Cavalier, owner and manager
of a Play It Again Sports store in Kingston, Ont.
Items vary from store to store, but most locations
offer the essentials. Cavalier's store offers a wide range of used
skates -- "our biggest seller in the winter," he says -- as well
as used cross-country skis, boots and poles.
The savings can be tremendous when trading or buying
used. "Good-quality used equipment sells for about half the price
of new," Laroche says.
He says you have three options when offloading old
equipment: Leave it on consignment and get 60 percent of the sale
price once the item sells; trade it for new equipment and receive
40 percent of its resale value; or walk away with 30 percent of
the resale price in cash.
Fitness tax credit
In 2007, the government of Canada instituted a fitness tax credit
for children. It allows parents to deduct up to $500 per child per
year from their income tax for eligible expenses. It's for kids
under 16 at the beginning of the year in which the expenses were
paid (unless the child qualifies for the disability tax credit,
in which case he or she must be under 18).
Eligible fitness expenses include the cost of registration
or membership of your child in a prescribed program of physical
activity. It must be ongoing (minimum of eight consecutive weeks
or five consecutive days); supervised; suitable for children; and
contributing to heart health and muscular strength, muscular endurance,
flexibility or balance.
For more information about the fitness tax credit,
visit the Canada
Revenue Agency's Web site.
Amy Brown-Bowers is a freelance writer living in Toronto.
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