Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan:
The best means to assist low income earners is to offer initiatives for them to upgrade their skills to qualify for better jobs. This would be in combination with the tax incentives to encourage more economic activity. The best means to increase the wage levels is to increase competition.
Ultimately I would be in favour of a flat tax excluding low income workers. However until the provinces finances are in order this may be well in the future.
Saskatchewan Green Party:
Our Green Party government would not only look at this option but more importantly we would implement a Guaranteed Livable Income so that the basic needs of every Saskatchewan citizen is looked after. This would also create a more sustainable economy that can better withstand economic and social shocks that occasionally happen. A more resilient and thriving Saskatchewan is what the Sask Green Party is aiming to build.
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party:
Improving the quality of life for low income people in our province is a top priority for
Saskatchewan’s New Democrats. We are committed to introducing an anti-poverty strategy, a housing first plan, a $15/hour minimum wage, and eliminating predatory lending through a cap on interest rates and a cap on cheque cashing fees.
Saskatchewan Party:
A re-elected Saskatchewan Party government will introduce a one-year, 10 per cent rebate on electricity charges on power bills for all SaskPower customers. The rebate applies to everyone – residential customers, farm customers, businesses and institutions like hospitals, schools and universities, meaning everyone benefits.
If re-elected, the Saskatchewan Party government will make it more affordable for low to moderate income families to enroll their children and youth under the age of 18 in sports, recreation and cultural activities by restarting the Active Families Benefit.
A re-elected Saskatchewan Party government will increase the Seniors Income Plan from a maximum of $270 per month to a maximum of $360 per month.
When the increase is fully implemented the Saskatchewan Party government will have
quadrupled the benefit for low income seniors over 16 years in government – a sharp contrast from the previous NDP government which did not increase the benefit at all for 16 years.
Under the Saskatchewan Party, personal and business taxes continue to be among the lowest in the country, giving Saskatchewan an advantage to attract new business investment, create jobs and keep the cost of living affordable. A re-elected Saskatchewan Party government will continue to monitor our tax competitiveness during our economic recovery.
The Saskatchewan Party government removed 112,000 low-income people off of the provincial income tax rolls. Personal, spousal and child exemption amounts have increased twice in the last decade and a family of four in Saskatchewan pays no income tax on their first $51,675 of income – making this one of the highest tax-free thresholds in Canada. Not only that, in every personal income tax bracket, Saskatchewan families are paying less personal income tax now than they did a decade ago.
Under a re-elected Saskatchewan Party government, there will be no tax increases. This is in sharp contrast to the Saskatchewan NDP who hiked taxes during their time in government and will not rule out further tax increases if they are successful in this election.
The Saskatchewan Party government increased the Saskatchewan Low-Income Tax Credit (SLITC) to help offset the cost of the PST. Families earning less than $32,634 receive the maximum benefit of $964 per year. The maximum benefit for adults increased from $246 to $346 per year and the child component increased from $96 to $136 per year.