The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

Much to the relief of small business owners, the New Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, announced 9 days after October rent payments were due, brought rent and mortgage support directly into the hands of business tenants. There was more good news, too. A new forgivable loan for businesses affected by the second wave of this pandemic was also introduced.  Here are the details:

Good news on the labor front in Canada:  the unemployment rate dropped to 9.0% in September, down from a high of 13.7% in May.  Further, the September Labour Force Survey released October 9 for the week of September 13 to 19, reported fewer people receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) , EI or the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (13.5% down from 16.1%) and that the employment rate rose 2.1%.  So, what’s the bad news?   

The pandemic has changed the financial picture for a lot of Canadians. The good news?  Changes in income levels can produce tax savings few people have thought about. Reduced income, for example, may change the taxpayer’s requirement to make their December 15 instalment payment.  Or they may qualify now to collect tax benefits they would otherwise not be entitled to. Check out this true-to-life example:

 “There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place.”- Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the UK 1940-1945 and 1951-1955.

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