Doug Ford’s tax credit leaves families worse off than a minimum wage boost

QUEEN’S PARK — Sandy Shaw, Official Opposition NDP critic for Finance and Treasury Board, released the following statement in response to the Financial Accountability Officer’s (FAO) report on the LIFT tax credit:

“For the 300,000 Ontarians that would have benefitted from a $15 an hour minimum wage, Doug Ford has left them worse off, forced them to keep struggling to make ends meet, and left them to battle every day to stave off the worst impacts of working poverty. Doug Ford should not only be ashamed of this scheme that keeps people trapped in poverty — he should fix it, by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Today, the FAO released a scathing report that shows lower-income Ontarians will suffer a financial blow because Doug Ford cancelled the minimum wage increase. FAO Peter Weltman makes it clear that Ford's scheme to replace the $15 minimum wage he cancelled — the LIFT tax credit — won't benefit minimum wage earners, the majority of whom earn too little to pay income tax. And finally, the lost income tax revenue from keeping wages down, and the cost of LIFT, will take $1.9 billion out of Ontario. That's $1.9 billion that could have been spent on health care, education or autism supports.

Too many Ontarians are working three jobs just to pay the rent, and laying awake at night knowing that one sick day could force them to fall behind. Ontario families deserve so much more than a government focused on giving friends and insiders cushy million-dollar appointments, while leaving working people falling further behind. Ontarians deserve a $15 minimum wage – and they deserve a government that gives them more help, not one that takes things away from them.”