Liberals propose lower taxes for a second job

(Quebec) A Liberal government would propose a tax holiday for workers who have two jobs.

This is one of the proposals that appears in the resolution book of the General Council of the Liberal Party (PLQ), which will be held in Bromont this weekend.

These meetings of the PLQ will largely focus on the economy and increasing productivity, but otherwise, the race for the leadership of the party will receive unofficial attention.

Polls suggest that the Liberals are still low in voting intentions, particularly among French-speakers, but there is a resurgence in militancy, testified the president of the National Political Commission of the PLQ, André Pratte, in an interview with La Presse Canadian Thursday.

“There are no spectacular results in the polls yet, but there is certainly a different climate and people who are coming back and people who are arriving to get involved in the party, that is obvious, we seen on the ground. »

Tax holiday

The Liberals want to offer a tax holiday to people with two jobs to allow them to face “the inflationary spiral”, as we can read in their resolution book.

Thus, in the calculation of employment, the income from the second job would not be added to the total income from the first job, to avoid penalizing the employee who would move to higher tax brackets.

“It is perhaps a question of tax fairness that we must look at carefully”, in a period where “the figures show that there are more and more people who have to take a second job to get there”, he explained.

This measure would cost the Quebec Treasury 202 million, according to an estimate from the Montreal Economic Institute cited by the PLQ.

The resolution will have to be debated and adopted this weekend before becoming part of the program.

Zero deficit

Among other resolutions, a Liberal government would propose a plan to return to budget balance from the first year of its mandate in 2026-2027.

Remember that the CAQ government is forecasting a record deficit of 11 billion this year, without presenting a plan to return to budgetary balance, and the Liberals have continued to accuse it of having squandered the surpluses left to it by the previous one. Couillard government.

“It is a huge weakness in terms of public finances, to not have a plan that reassures investors and Quebecers,” argued Mr. Pratte.

“All we say is that we must do it, then we must do it while preserving essential services for the population, particularly in health and education. »

Accommodation

The Liberals also want to launch a national housing strategy.

Thus, in order to accelerate the construction of new units, the PLQ proposes in particular to invalidate the municipal regulations which currently prohibit forms of “gentle densification”. The party also suggests setting up an infrastructure fund dedicated to housing.

Also, the Liberals would aspire to abolish interprovincial barriers in the mobility of labor in construction and extend the notion of versatility in the trades, all in order to increase the rate of construction.

On another note, the PLQ wishes to cancel the increase in tuition fees for students outside Quebec established by the CAQ government last December.

Former chefs…

All former liberal leaders will be present at the general council, after difficult years since the defeats of 2018 and 2022.

Thus, former prime ministers Daniel Johnson, Jean Charest, Philippe Couillard, former leader Dominique Anglade, as well as former interim leaders Jean-Marc Fournier and Pierre Arcand will be honored by the activists.

“It is a very important message of unity, we are not in conflict, we are working together, united,” concluded Mr. Pratte.

“It’s no secret that the party has had more difficult times. This may have given the impression that there were different groups in the party, who did not necessarily have the same vision. There, the message is very clear. The Quebec Liberal Party is united. »

And aspiring chefs

Activists will also be able to discuss who their next leader will be, even if the leadership race only officially begins on January 13, 2025.

No candidate has announced that they want to run for office, but MP Frédéric Beauchemin and former mayor Denis Coderre have expressed interest, while a new name is circulating and starting to generate interest.

This is the mayor of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, who previously campaigned and worked for the federal Conservatives.

On Thursday, he said he wanted to concentrate on his mandate as mayor, but added that he was not closing the door to another level of government.