No tax cuts or taxes, but another form of “allowance”. To help Quebecers cope with inflation, the Parti Québécois (PQ) is counting on one-time assistance of $750 and $1,200 for people with an income of less than $80,000, in addition to an increase in the tax credit for solidarity.
“The tub of vanilla Greek yogurt—which is my favorite—is down to $7.79. It is made that we [ne] buy it more”, illustrated the chef Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon Wednesday morning in front of a Maxi.
The PQ’s “purchasing power allowance” consists of assistance of $1,200 intended for people with an income of less than $50,000 and $750 for those who earn between $50,000 and $80,000.
The PQ also proposes to double the solidarity tax credit, intended for the poorest, the equivalent on average of $2,000 more per year for those who benefit from it.
These measures are “temporary”, underlines the party which is confident of seeing the effects of inflation diminish within a year.
At a cost of $6 billion, the proposed allowance would be financed by “overpayments” generated by the government thanks to inflation. According to the government’s latest financial statement, Quebec’s deficit has gone from $6.5 billion to $730 million in recent months.
More “responsible” than the others
The last party to present its plan to mitigate the effects of inflation, the PQ unsurprisingly advances that its approach is the best.
“What the other political parties have proposed over the past few days is irresponsible and counterproductive,” declared Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, who criticizes the other parties for having proposed lower taxes and fees.
“It’s a one-way ticket to austerity,” he says. “Because raising taxes in politics, good luck! You shouldn’t do that.”
Asked about the similarities between his allowance and that proposed by the Coalition avenir Québec (checks for $400 and $600), the leader of the PQ points out that his targets people who are less fortunate (it is offered to people earning a maximum of 80 $000, while that of the CAQ has an income ceiling of $100,000).
More details will follow.