Yes, Quebecers really are happy with announced tax cuts

Montreal, February 1, 2018 – A few weeks from the next provincial budget, a Leger poll released today shows that a majority of Quebecers are happy about the tax cuts recently announced by the government. They also think that their taxes are too high, and that tax cuts are good for the economy.

Here are the main results of the Leger poll, commissioned by the MEI:

• 63% of respondents agree that the tax reductions announced by the Quebec Finance Minister in his recent economic update are a positive thing.
• 59% of respondents think that tax cuts are good for the economy.
• 67% of respondents believe they pay too much in taxes.
• In addition, 71% of respondents believe that the additional amounts injected over the past 10 years in health and education have not yielded results.

(The poll, including the specific wording of the questions, can be consulted on the website of the MEI.)

It is worth noting that the favourable opinion of tax cuts and the observation that Quebecers pay too much in taxes echo strongly among respondents who intend to vote for the Parti Québécois in the next election—and even more among those who intend to vote for the CAQ or the Liberal Party. Even among respondents who support Québec Solidaire, over 90% think their taxes are either high enough or too high.

“The results of this poll are clear: After years of enduring tax and contribution hikes of all kinds, Quebecers think it’s time to give them back some of their money. Quebecers’ taxes are too high, and they don’t think that paying more will make a difference in the quality of services they receive. In terms of future public policy decisions, and a few months from the next election, our politicians will have to take these facts into account,” says Germain Belzile, Associate Researcher at the MEI.

The online poll was carried out from January 8 to 10, 2018 with a representative sample of 1,012 Quebecers aged 18 and older. The margin of error is around + or – 3.1%.

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The Montreal Economic Institute is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit research and educational organization. Through its studies and its conferences, the MEI stimulates debate on public policies in Quebec and across Canada by proposing wealth-creating reforms based on market mechanisms.

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Interview requests: Pascale Déry, Vice President, Communications and Development, MEI / Tel.: 514-273-0969 ext. 2233 / Cell.: 514-502-6757 / Email: pdery@iedm.org