Projet Montréal has embarked on a war of figures concerning the cost of its electoral commitments. The party led by Valérie Plante estimates that its electoral promises, including the financing of the debt service, will total $ 235.5 million. Expenses that can be absorbed by savings and additional income generated, in particular, by new taxes.
The electoral platform presented at the beginning of the month by Valérie Plante included 250 commitments, but so far, the party had not quantified its promises, which it decided to do on Friday.
According to an evaluation sent to the media, Projet Montréal estimates that free public transit for seniors will cost 42.5 million over four years and that the 50% reduction in transit fares for 12 to 17 year olds will represent a bill of 50 million. millions.
For their part, measures to counter armed violence and support for community groups in the area of public security will entail additional expenditure of $ 29 million.
Valérie Plante’s promise to invest 110 million to counter armed violence therefore appears only partially, Projet Montréal arguing that sums have already been provided for in the “basic budgetary framework” of the City and that Quebec already has confirmed the financing of part of these investments.
All these expenditures will total an amount of 172.7 million dollars, to which will be added the financing of the debt service, for a total bill of 235.5 million.
New taxes
To offset these additional expenses, Projet Montréal estimates that it will be able to collect new revenues and achieve savings totaling $ 255 million over the next four years.
If the team of Valérie Plante plans to collect 6.3 million over four years thanks to a tax on foreign residential real estate investments, it adds other potential sources of income that had not been disclosed until now.
Projet Montréal therefore intends to be able to receive 50 million by extending the application of the property tax to outdoor commercial parking lots and 10.5 million by imposing a tax on signage, two commitments similar to those announced by the leader of Ensemble Montréal, Denis Coderre, in the election campaign.
Projet Montréal’s candidate for a position of City Councilor in Vieux-Rosemont and potential president of the executive committee, Dominique Ollivier, recognizes that these elements are new for Projet Montréal. “When there are good ideas, they can go beyond the lines of political parties,” she told the To have to.
Ms. Ollivier sees the financial framework presented by Projet Montréal as an “exercise in transparency”. “To make good decisions, people need to have all the information. It was clear to me, when I joined Projet Montréal last September, that we had to encrypt our promises and indicate how much new money that would require and how we intended to finance them. “
Regarding long-term investments, such as the participatory budget (515 million), the funding required for the 60,000 affordable housing units (800 million) and the integration of the Eastern REM (500 million), Projet Montréal estimates the sums required over a 10-year period at nearly $ 1.7 billion.
The party of Valérie Plante also ventured to quantify the additional expenses required for the promises made by Denis Coderre since the beginning of the electoral campaign, based on the information made public by Ensemble Montreal. He concludes that these new expenditures will reach $ 597.8 million over four years, including $ 120 million for the six funds intended for the boroughs, another 120 million for the hiring of 250 additional police officers, $ 135.8 million for the contingency budget. 5% from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and 42.5 million for free public transport for seniors.
At the time of writing, Ensemble Montréal had not yet reacted to the figures put forward by Projet Montréal.