Minimum wage bump means $1,500 more a year for low-income workers, economist says
March 16, 2018
For low-income earners in Ontario, what’s better for the bottom line — lower income taxes, or a higher minimum wage?
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford calls the Liberal and NDP pledge to increase rates to $15 an hour by 2019 a tax grab. According to economist Sheila Block, the move would mean an extra $1,465 in the pockets of the working poor.
The question is already a key debate between parties vying for votes, with both Liberals and New Democrats promising to implement the wage hike. The Conservatives, meanwhile, say they will freeze wages at their current $14 hourly rate and eliminate provincial income tax for everyone earning below $30,000. The Conservatives would have no say over the federal portion of income taxes.
