Atlantic Provinces -> Nova Scotia -> Nova Scotia Budgets -> Nova Scotia 2009 Budget
Nova Scotia 2009 Budget - September 24, 2009
The May 2009 budget was not passed before the NS government was defeated in June. However, the September 24 budget is substantially the same as the May budget. All information under the May 4 budget heading remains unchanged.
All Budget 2009 documents can be found on the Nova Scotia Budget Documents Archive page.
New Tax Measures:
HST Energy Rebate
The government is implementing a rebate of the provincial portion of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on residential electricity usage, starting October 1, 2009. The rebate will apply to usage below the current 27.4 kWh per day threshold, and will now cover all residential electricity usage including the monthly basic charge.
For consumers who are being billed at the domestic service rate, the rebate will be automatically deducted from your bill.
See the Access Nova Scotia web page Your Energy Rebate.
New Home Construction Rebate
This rebate was announced on July 7, 2009. A rebate of 50% of the provincial portion of the HST is available for new homes that began construction on or after January 1, 2009 and are substantially complete by March 31, 2010.
The maximum rebate is $7,000. The rebate will be limited to 1,500 homes.
Graduate Retention Rebate
For post-secondary students graduating in 2009 and later years, the graduate retention rebate replaces the graduate tax credit.
Manufacturing and Processing
The Manufacturing and Processing Investment Credit is 10% of eligible investments made on or after January 1, 2010. Details will be announced after further consultations with the manufacturing industry.
Equity Tax Credit
 | rate increased from 30% to 35% of the value of eligible investments made, starting January 1, 2010 |
| maximum annual claim raised from $15,000 to $17,500 |
| extended to February 29, 2012 |
Nova Scotia 2009 Budget - May 4, 2009
This budget was not passed.
Personal Tax
| no changes to personal income tax brackets or rates |
| Healthy Living Tax Credit - Implementation of the previously announced extension of this credit to cover expenses of adults in 2009 will be temporarily deferred. |
| Transit Tax Credit - Implementation of the previously announced credit in 2009, to match the Federal credit, will be temporarily deferred. |
| Tobacco taxes were to be increased by $10 per carton of cigarettes effective midnight on May 4, 2009. This change actually took effect at midnight on June 22, 2009. |
Corporate Tax
Over 3 years starting in 2011, the small business income tax rate will be cut in half. The rates will be:
| 5% for 2009 and 2010 |
| 4% in 2011 |
| 3% in 2012 |
| 2.5% in 2013 |
Revised: October 26, 2023