Quebecers will receive a one-time payment of $500 CAD
The provincial government announced cash payments to local residents to compensate for the greatly increased costs of living.
On Tuesday, the government of Quebec released its fourth budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the last before the fall elections. A total of about 6.4 million taxpayers will receive a lump sum benefit. This is expected to cost $3.2 billion CAD of the provincial budget.
Finance Minister Eric Girard said the province's rapid recovery, with real GDP growth of 6.3% last year after the economy had previously contracted by 5.5%, allowed the government to help Quebecers cope with the recent surge in living expenses. Girard also added that he expects inflation to persist, at least through the first half of the year.
Every Quebecer earning less than $100,000 CAD can claim the lump sum. If you qualify, $500 CAD will be sent to you automatically. As long as you file your 2021 tax return. This means that the most vulnerable people in Quebec, such as the homeless, may not get their share of the money.
If your salary exceeds the set amount but is less than $105,000 CAD, you can still receive a portion of the payment. In all other cases, the money is not payable. That said, the $500 CAD amount is payable to one person, accordingly, a couple where each earns less than $100,000 CAD will receive $1,000 CAD for two people. Low-income Quebecers who were already eligible for the tax credit announced last fall can receive a combined $775 CAD for those living alone or $1,400 CAD for a couple. Please note that if you have debt at tax time, $500 CAD can automatically be used to pay it off.
And be careful not to fall into the trap of scammers. If you receive a message saying that you have to click on a link to receive a payment of $500 CAD, you should not do so, as these kinds of messages are not official.
