(Montreal) Criticized by the opposition, the decision to pay a $500 check to the vast majority of taxpayers was the best solution to help households cope with soaring inflation, defended the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, during a speech before the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Monday.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
“When you’re Minister of Finance, you maximize under constraint and uncertainty,” said the Minister to the audience made up of business people. That is to say, we make the best measurement in sub-optimal circumstances. »
The flagship measure of the budget unveiled last week, the government will pay a check for $500 to taxpayers earning $100,000 or less to help them absorb higher-than-expected inflation. The measure affects 6.4 million people.
The decision was decried by the opposition, which accuses the measure of being “electoralist”. The opposition parties also questioned the relevance of granting assistance to taxpayers with incomes of up to $100,000, or even more if we consider the tax deduction for the contribution to the RRSP.
Mr. Girard considers, for his part, that the compensation of $500 is not electioneering. He points out that Revenu Québec was instructed to pay the $500 from the returns processed on March 23. “I can’t be further from the election than that. I can’t give the $500 until I announce it. »