Quebec has announced that the government has established an incentive program to retain essential workers, which will offer a $100 weekly benefit for low-income earners working full or part-time in the essential services. The program will cost an estimated $890 million.
The compensation seeks to ensure that full-time workers in sectors that are deemed essential receive a wage that exceeds what the Canada Emergency Response Benefit would provide.
The new benefit will be paid retroactively to March 15 for a maximum of 16 weeks. Through this compensation, workers will obtain, in addition to their wages, a taxable monthly lump sum of $400, or $1 600 for a period of 16 weeks.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR $100 TEMPORARY BENEFIT
- work in a sector declared essential during the period covered;
- earn a gross salary of $550 a week or less;
- have annual employment earnings of at least $5 000 and a total annual income of $28,600 or less, calculated before the benefit.
HOW TO APPLY FOR $100 TEMPORARY BENEFIT
Applicants can apply for this temporary benefit, which could cover roughly 600, 000 wage earners, by means of an online Revenu Québec form that will be available starting May 19 and will be paid by direct deposit starting on May 27.
Other Financial Measures Include:
- the Aide d’urgence aux petites et moyennes entreprises program ($150 million);
- a temporary hourly increase of $4 in the wages of orderlies in the private sector;
- the Programme d’aide temporaire aux travailleurs (PATT);
- the Programme d’action concertée pour les entreprises (PACTE);
- the relaxation of rules governing the production of income tax returns and the payment of tax balances payable and tax instalments;
- accelerated payment to businesses of tax credits;
- the suspension for six months of all student loans repayments;
- a 25% reduction in 2020 in the amount of mandatory withdrawals from a registered retirement income fund (RRIF);
- the postponement until June 30 for businesses of QST payments, without interest or penalties.
Quebec offers a great tax credit for the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED)Program, which is very appreciable.