The Legault government must act to reduce the impact of rising inflation on the most disadvantaged, argues Québec solidaire. The left-wing party asks the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, to “temporarily” double the solidarity tax credit, in the economic update that he will present on Thursday.
“We can see that there are people currently who have to make very heart-wrenching choices between doing a big grocery store for a week or between buying winter boots for the youngest, worries Ruba Ghazal, spokesperson in the matter. economy and finance. It is really a very difficult situation for many people because Quebec has experienced the highest inflation in the last 30 years. ”
Mme Ghazal proposes to double the solidarity tax credit for a period of six months in order to help the poorest to withstand the inflationary shock. The proposal is intended to be a “temporary” measure for a period of six months and would cost the public treasury $ 900 million.
The Member for Mercier is not worried that an increase in public spending will worsen inflation while Québec solidaire wants to mitigate the effects. She notes that other factors contribute to inflation, such as the disruption of the international supply chain.
The government would be making a mistake by restraining public spending to control inflation, she said. “Now is not the time to skimp and say, ‘we’re going to control inflation by giving people less money’, that’s not how we’re going to get there. ”
Minister Girard is due to present his economic update on Thursday, November 25. At the end of October, the minister had already mentioned “targeted” measures for those “who do not benefit from an increase in income to cope with increases in the cost of living”.
The update should also focus on the labor shortage. The business community is also firmly awaiting the government’s plan in this regard.