QUEBEC, QC – The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) condemns the Couillard government’s decision to spend practically all of its budgetary surplus rather than return it to taxpayers.
“Having a budgetary surplus doesn’t mean the government doesn’t spend enough, it means it’s taking too much from taxpayers,” said CTF Quebec Director Carl Vallée. “Rather than considering new expenditures, we strongly believe the government should have reallocated money within its budget, as we all know there is a lot of waste in government.”
Despite the tax cuts announced in last fall’s economic update, Quebecers are massively overtaxed. The comparison with its Ontario neighbor is particularly telling. For instance, a Quebecer making $60,000 per year is paying about $3,400 more in income taxes than an Ontario taxpayer making the same income.
“This budget doesn’t offer any form of relief to Quebec taxpayers” said Mr. Vallée. “The only good news to come out of this budget is the repayment of a part of Quebec’s debt which will, ultimately, reduce the cost of our annual interest payment.”
Ultimately, Quebec is still very much dependant on equalization payments. This is especially worrisome as the government still has no plan to reach fiscal self-sufficiency by pursuing an equalization-zero agenda in the coming years. This year, Quebec will receive $11.7 billion in equalization. It is quite disappointing that the government accepts this fiscal dependency as an inevitability.
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