Quebec’s one-time inflation-fighting cheques will start being distributed this week.
As part of his re-election campaign, Premier François Legault and his Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government promised another handout payment to citizens to help combat inflation.
On Friday, Revenue Quebec announced payments will be distributed to 6.5 million Quebecers by the start of December, in an effort to help citizens curb the inflation spike.
- You might also like:
- Here's how Legault's $400 to $600 pay-out promise will work for Quebecers
- Bank of Canada bumps key interest rate to 1.5% as inflation surges
- Canada's top 100 employers were just revealed and hybrid work is king
- Canadians can now work and travel in Italy for two years — here's how
Citizens with a net income of $50,000 or less will receive a one-time payment of $600 while taxpayers with a net income in the $50,000 to $100,000 range will receive $400.
COMMUNIQUÉ 📢 Nouveau montant ponctuel pour le coût de la vie : Revenu Québec amorcera sous peu les premiers versements. En savoir plus : https://t.co/TOXyjMziD7 pic.twitter.com/1CIeijog3S
— Revenu Québec (@RevenuQuebec) November 25, 2022
The one-time, no-taxable payment will be based on 2021 income and will be paid in the form of a direct deposit (and cheques in some cases) only to those who filed a 2021 tax return.
Recipients do not have to take any action to obtain the payment.
Citizens who have yet to produce a 2021 income statement will have until June 30, 2023, to benefit from the government’s handout program.
Revenue Quebec is warning people to “watch out for fraudulent text,” specifically that the agency will “never text or email you about the new cost of living tax credit.”
The agency didn’t get a specific date but says people should begin receiving payment at the “beginning of December.”
Revenue Quebec advises citizens not to click on any links, open any attachments, or reply to senders who are posing as the agency through text or email.
Over the summer, Legault and co. announced the government would send out a one-time payment to 6.4 million Quebecers, at the cost of $3.5 billion for the CAQ.
While speaking with Daily Hive, Ewan Sauves, a media spokesperson for the CAQ Cabinet, says the pay-out is part of an election promise to help Quebecers deal with an increase in pricing on everyday goods.
“Like we promised and said multiple times during the campaign, we will give people the payout.”
Over the summer, Legault said the government “listened to those who felt we should help more Quebecers who have fewer means.” The premier said the inflation over the past few months has “greatly affected” citizens, citing that groceries, gas, and “all expenses” cost more. “At the CAQ, we believe Quebecers should have the right to choose what to do with these amounts.”
This will become the second time Legault dangled cash to Quebecers over the past year as an election promise. In March 2022, the CAQ handed out a one-time payment of $500 to every adult who paid taxes in 2021 across the province. In June, the CAQ government promised another round to citizens, if Legault got re-elected.
At the time, opposition leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon (Parti Québécois) called out Legault’s initiative, saying this is “literally what we call buying the votes.”
During October’s provincial election, Legault and the CAQ government secured a landslide victory, winning a majority.
The CAQ was elected in 90 ridings — the highest number of seats won by a party in Quebec since 1989 when the Liberals won 92 seats.
Follow Channels and Categories