Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard announced Wednesday that Quebecers who earned up to $50,000 a year in 2021 will receive $600. Those who earned more than $50,000 but less than $104,000 will receive about $400. Girard said the payments will be deposited automatically, as before, to about 6.5 million Quebecers. The money will appear in Quebec accounts from the end of the month. In total, the payment will cost the province about $3.5 billion. Quebecers should not respond to messages purporting to be from Revenue Quebec, Girard said, as the government will not need personal information to make the filing. This follows a first payment earlier this year, when the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government gave $500 to every Quebecer who filed a tax return and made less than $100,000, saying it would help offset inflation and the rising cost of living. It is estimated to have cost the province about $3.2 billion in total. During the province’s recent election campaign, Premier Francois Legault promised a second cash transfer before the end of the year. Girard said he does not expect Quebec to make a third payment because he expects inflation to stop rising as economic growth slows. He said there is a 50 per cent chance Quebec’s economy will be in recession in 2023. Further measures — such as caps on Hydro rate increases — are expected to be included in Quebec’s upcoming economic update, scheduled for Dec. 8.
