The Saskatchewan Affordability Tax Credit (SATC) payments have been mailed to Saskatchewan residents 18-years and over who had filed their taxes before Aug. 31, and had their correct address listed with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Late filers who filed after August and closer to the Oct. 31 program deadline, and those who provided address change information will receive their cheques in the mail over the next two months. About 900,000 cheques may be mailed in total, depending on final numbers of late filers and those who changed addresses, at a total cost of $450 million, according to the finance ministry.
“A growing economy, and a strong fiscal bottom line, allowed us to deliver one-time SATC payments of $500 to Saskatchewan residents, provide tax relief for businesses, and pay down debt,” said Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer.
Opposition NDP wants the government to do more
Meanwhile, as the fall session wraps,Opposition Leader Carla Beck continues to raise issues regarding the health system and the affordability crisis. The Provincial Auditor’s report on health indicates that over 2,000 health-care workers are needed over the next 5 years in roles that are difficult to recruit. An Angus-Reid poll shows that “three-in-five (59%) of Saskatchewanians say they are in worse financial shape now than they were a year ago.”
“Saskatchewan has so much potential, and the Sask. Party is holding us back,” said Beck. “Hospitals are closing, hard-working families are struggling to put food on the table, and instead of fixing these issues, the Sask. Party closed profitable liquor stores and poured taxpayer dollars into a redundant police force and a costly new tax system. Saskatchewan people can’t afford to keep paying for Scott Moe’s mistakes.”
The opposition NDP points out that Saskatchewan is leading national rates of economic anxiety and calls for:
- An investigation into grocery and meat prices
- Expansion of the $500 affordability cheques for parents with children
- Creation of a consumer advocate for fair and reliable utilities
- Rolling back the 8% SaskPower and 23% SaskEnergy increases
- Rolling back the PST expansion
- Suspending the provincial gas tax
More information about the SATC is available online.