Only 2 % of Quebecers want to pay more taxes

Illustration fotolia

Patrick Déry

Thursday, 1 February 2018 06:00

UPDATE
Thursday, 1 February 2018 06:00

Look at this article

The organization for which I work today publishes a survey on the tax cuts announced by the government Couillard during his economic update last November.

The answers are very interesting. I share it with you in summing up a few questions (the survey report is available in full here).

Question 1. The recent announcement of tax cuts by the minister Leitão is it positive or negative?

This is 63% of the respondents who say that it is positive. The supporters of the CAQ, PLQ and the PQ are all primarily that it is a good news, as 42 % of those who support Québec solidaire. In all, only 26 % of Quebecers do not see it as matter of rejoicing.

Question 2. Do you think that tax cuts are good for the economy?

Here again, the verdict is unambiguous : 59 % say yes 27 % say no. The support for each party are similar to those for question 1.

Let’s go to the question 3, that I particularly like.

Question 3. Is it that you find that you are paying too much tax? Just enough taxes? Not enough taxes?

The answer is clear : 67 % of Quebecers feel that they pay “too much” tax and 25 % say they pay ” just enough “. Only 2 % say they don’t pay enough taxes.

It is quite interesting, when one considers that just over one-third of taxpayers do not pay income tax (they pay the indirect tax, however, as consumption taxes).

Now, my turnover is preferred : 91 % of supporters of Québec solidaire consider that they pay “too much” or “enough” taxes. More specifically, 44 % found that they pay ” too much “, and 47 % say that they pay ” just enough “. Only 6 % of those who support Québec solidaire, are that they do not pay enough tax.

It is there strong enough? Even among the supporters of the more fervent of a larger State, the limit is reached!

But, doctor, another survey, published a few days ago, however, has suggested that the Québécois would be ” two-thirds (66 %) are more favourable to a reinvestment in health or education, for families or seniors, with a potential reduction in tax for individuals (34 %) “.

Who is telling the truth? The two of them. In my opinion, it depends on how one understands the question.

In this study, we pose the problem in the following way :

Which of the following are you most supportive?

-A reinvestment in health, education, for families and for seniors? (66 %)

-A tax reduction for individuals? (34 %)

There seems to be a direct contradiction to our own survey, which was conducted by the same firm (by the beginning of January, before the other), but this is only on the surface.

If you could you provide the certainty that our hospitals would be at the height of our expectations – rather than make us wait, and that we kept we drizzle of bad news from emergency rooms congested, crumbling schools, success rate disheartening, grandmothers and grandfathers left behind in their filth, I am certain that you would choose it. Me too.

Even my colleague much in favor of the tax cuts would choose it (I checked). And I think that is the way that most of the people who chose the option of “reinvestment” have understood : I have the choice between finally resolve any problems or receive a few hundred dollars that I had become accustomed to not having? To resolve the issues!

Unfortunately, all this remains a wish, unless you live in the land of the unicorns. It’s been years that governments spend more in public services, particularly health and education, and improvements are still pending.

This brings us to the last question of our survey :

Question 4. Do you believe that the additional money injected in the last 10 years by the Quebec government in health and education have produced results?

The verdict, once again, is without appeal : 71 % of Quebecers believe that it is not. Supporters of Québec solidaire are not fooled, and respond in a similar manner (83 %). Like what the Québécois, even if they are a natural optimist, no longer believe in unicorns.

P.S. talk to You later another time solutions. There are plenty of, and it is misleading to suggest that it must be more expensive.

To reach me : patrick.dery@iedm.org

My page Facebook

My Twitter feed