11 ideas for creating wealth in Quebec

Montreal, January 12, 2008 – The Montreal Economic Institute is presenting Quebecers with 11 ideas for bringing in new wealth-creating solutions and resolving ongoing problems. These proposals can be applied over the next one to five years and are being discussed in the pages of Le Journal de Montréal starting Saturday, January 12. The full texts will be put on the Institute’s website and on Canoë.

The Institute’s economists are prepared to debate them in any forum.

Here is a summary of these ideas:

• 40 hours a week: let doctors work also in the private sector after 40 hours of public service.
• 25: create 25 “performance schools” with 1,000 super-teachers to combat dropping out.
• 3-way split: share the savings achieved by public tenders.
• 1 week a month: the contribution by recipients of social assistance to their communities.
• 40%: raise university tuition fees in proportion to the cost of education.
• $800: the annual per-family spin-off of a one-cent rise in the heritage price of electricity.
• 50-50: for performance-based salaries in the public service.
• 67 years old: raise the normal retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2017.
• 0%: abolish the capital tax immediately.
• 100 billion: authorize the export of 100 billion cubic metres of water.
• 2-2: raise the Quebec sales tax by two points and reduce income tax by $2 billion.

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Information and interview requests: André Valiquette, Director of Communications, Montreal Economic Institute, Tel.: 514 273-0969 ext. 2225 / Cell: 514 574-0969 / E-mail: avaliquette (iedm.org)