CAQ’s Dec. 3 economic update likely to provide tax relief

The province will produce QUEBEC an economic update, which should include some tax relief for Quebecers, on Dec. 3. Coalition Avenir Québec Finance Minister Éric Girard made the announcement Tuesday on his way out of a special pre-session meeting of the CAQ caucus. The choice of Dec. 3 places the update right in the middle of the two-week sitting of the National Assembly. The house is to resume work briefly before Christmas starting Nov. 27, but will wrap things up Dec. 7. And while the session is expected to be marked by the presentation of bills increasing the legal age to buy and consume pot from 18 to 21 and another covering school board taxes, the economic update is a necessary exercise for a new government. “What we said is we want to give some money back to citizens,” Girard told reporters. “We’ve been quite clear about that in the election campaign as was the premier at the swearing in. He wants to give back some money to families and seniors so that’s the general guidelines, but for the details you will have to wait.” The update will be a chance to clear up some confusion about the state of finances the CAQ inherited from the Liberal government and make a forecast to tide Quebec over until the spring budget. When Girard took over, he announced the province was sitting on a $3-billion surplus, but that number later was described as too high by Premier François Legault, who said it was based on only five months of financial results. Girard, who is expected to include some measures to manage the anticipated economic slowdown, had delayed his economic update until after federal minister Bill Morneau tabled his fiscal update. That is happening Wednesday in Ottawa.