Posts Tagged ‘pensions’
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Quebec takes lead in pension reform
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Mar. 17, 2011
Quebec is hoping to pave the way for the rest of Canada by introducing sweeping changes to how Quebeckers plan for retirement, including a new pension program for workers who don’t have private plans…. Under the voluntary plan, employees will be enrolled automatically but will be given the option to withdraw. Employers will be forced to offer the plan but will not be required to contribute. The money collected in each workplace will be pooled and managed by financial institutions.
Tags: budget, participation, pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Prisons or poverty? The choice is clear
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Mar. 15, 2011
Since 2006, the Harper Government has drained its own coffers. After taking office, it cut the GST by two percentage points, creating an annual revenue loss of $12-billion. It trimmed corporate taxes, from 18 to 16.5%, effective 2011… Yet the government somehow manages to find money for its favourite expenditures: War and crime… The Harper Government should use the 2011-12 budget to tackle Canada’s real challenges related to poverty and inequality, literacy and educational attainment. Any new federal spending should invest in people, not prisons.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, disabilities, featured, ideology, Indigenous, pensions, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Economic dreams and reality
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Mar 08 2011
The budget of my dream explains that education cannot again be collateral damage in a war on the deficit. So the 3 per cent annual growth in the Canada Social Transfer will be maintained after 2013-14. It would put a clear emphasis on giving access to post-secondary education to students who do not typically attend. The budget acknowledges the deplorable state of education on First Nations reserves and commits to thorough reforms backed by necessary funding.
Tags: budget, economy, housing, Indigenous, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Grey wave to hit provinces’ bottom line by mid decade
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Mar. 8, 2011
“On the path to restoring fiscal balance, provinces will have to deal with the implications of demographic trends for both revenue and program spending,” said Paul–André Pinsonnault, senior fixed-income economist at NBF. “The provinces are approaching a critical point and credible policies needs to be put in place to address this issue head on.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, mental Health, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
A simple way to help Canada’s poorest seniors
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
Feb. 28, 2011
Pension income-splitting does absolutely nothing to help single seniors or even the poorest elderly couples who pay no tax. Some senior couples have enjoyed a tax reduction, but the measure is regressive — the higher their income, the bigger the tax break…. There is a far fairer and more effective way to spend that $733 million — use it to boost the guaranteed income supplement for the poorest seniors. The increase should be targeted to single recipients because they have a much higher poverty rate than elderly couples.
Tags: budget, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
CPP a better bet than private plans
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Feb 28 2011
If we fail to act, inadequate pensions will cost governments (us as taxpayers) a lot more down the road for income-tested support vehicles like the old age security program’s guaranteed income supplement (GIS)… It is beyond belief that finance ministers armed with incontrovertible research and overwhelming public opinion would opt for a pig-in-a-poke program like the PRPP. It shows the kind of power and influence that business, especially the financial industry, has over politicians and government in this country.
Tags: pensions, poverty, rights, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Call for living wage for disabled
Sunday, February 20th, 2011
February 18, 2011
… Kenora Association for Community Living (KACL) executive director, James Retson is calling on Canada to commit to a living wage for the nation’s disabled — and is hoping to make it an election issue. “The government should have a guaranteed annual income, at least equal to the level provided by old age security and income supplement,” he said, citing both Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Human Resources. Skills and Social Development and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities and Senate reports suggesting the Tax Act be amended to ensure the disabled aren’t living in poverty.
Tags: disabilities, participation, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Thousands miss out on government benefits
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Feb 16 2011
Many people don’t get government benefits they’re entitled to because the rules are too complex… The Old Age Security pension… The Guaranteed Income Supplement… The Canada Pension Plan… government should: (1) Ensure that programs are clear and simple. (2) Simplify the application processes. (3) Improve outreach to raise awareness of programs and their eligibility rules.
Tags: disabilities, pensions, poverty, rights, standard of living, women
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Why CPP hikes are a bad idea
Monday, February 7th, 2011
February 6, 2011
The earliest contributors to the CPP made out wonderfully… But the return on one’s CPP taxes become meagre the later one is born. It’s why it resembles a social program and not a true pension plan… The low contribution rates for the pre-baby boom generation had everything to do with demographics. Over the decades, successive governments kept retirement contributions artificially low… The 1997 reforms were meant to address both the unfunded liability in the CPP and partially address the generational imbalance.
Tags: pensions, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
Make some noise for the RDSP
Friday, February 4th, 2011
Feb. 3, 2011
The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a relatively new national tax-deferred, long-term savings plan for families who want to help ensure the financial security of relatives with disabilities and for individuals with disabilities who want to build up retirement savings for themselves. Think of it as an RESP — only with far more generous federal funding. In fact, for each dollar contributed, the federal government adds up to $3 in grant money… What’s more, anyone can contribute to an RDSP — parents, grandparents, friends, charities, foundations –it’s wide open.
Tags: budget, disabilities, participation, pensions, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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