Researchers have found that the wealthy benefit most from the Canadian Children's Fitness Tax Credit, a tax credit to increase physical activity levels of children.

It has been revealed by the official reports that since 2007, the Canadian government has allowed a non-refundable tax credit based on eligible fitness expenses paid by parents to register a child in a prescribed program of physical activity.

It was further reported that a survey by researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton indicates lower income families used the $500 tax credit less than wealthier families. The researchers suggest the credit did not help lower income families who could not afford registration fees and those not qualifying for minimum income levels.

Published in Public Health, the survey indicates 15.6 percent of the parents say the tax credit had increased their children's participation in physical activity programs.

It has also been reported that John Spence and colleagues conducted the Internet-based panel survey of 2,135 Canadians, 1,004 of whom were parents of children ages 2-18, in March 2009. Of the parents, 54.4 percent had a child enrolled in an organized physical activity program, 55.5 percent were aware of the program, 26.1 percent made claims for the tax credit in 2007 and 33.1 percent planned to do so. (With Inputs from Agencies)