Few surprises were in the fall economic statement released Wednesday, including a $200 taxpayer rebate and the continuation of gas tax cuts.
In the new year, the Ontario government will be issuing each eligible taxpayer a $200 rebate. Families will receive an additional $200 for each additional child under the age of 18. This will cost the province around $3 billion.
"I'm under no illusions that this will relieve all of the affordability pressures facing Ontario families, but it will help," said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario Minister of Finance. "It's real support and most importantly it allows the people of Ontario to choose how they can use this money to best help themselves."
Ontario's official opposition party, the NDP, calls this rebate a bribe.
“Doug Ford is out of touch with Ontarians. Today’s fall economic statement barely mentions the cost of living, offers no new money for hospitals and schools, and exposes Ontario as a have-not province, receiving equalization payments to keep institutions afloat. Ontario deserves more than beer promises, bribes, and a balance sheet that fails to meet the needs of Ontarians,” said MPP Catherine Fife, NDP Finance critic.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario also issued a statement about the lack of new funding for public schools in the province.
“While violence in schools increases, educators struggle to manage growing class sizes and workloads, and special education remains severely underfunded, the Progressive Conservative government is focused on expanding alcohol sales and funding vanity projects to benefit well-connected insiders. This is not fiscal responsibility; it’s gross mismanagement and a deliberate attack on public education,” said Karen Brown, ETFO president.
According to the Fall Economic Statement, fuel tax cuts will stay at 9 cents per litre until June 30, 2025.
The government is now projecting a deficit of $6.6 billion in 2024-25, an improvement of $3.2 billion from the outlook in the 2024 budget.