The reform of the school tax “precipitated the return of austerity”, according to the iris

Is there a link between the budgetary restrictions announced recently by the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, for the 2025-2026 school year and the drop in school taxes initiated a few years ago? Meanwhile, Maxim Fortin. Similarly, researcher at the Institute of Research and Socioeconomic Information (IRIS), is unequivocal, this standardization of the tax has “precipitated the return of austerity in education”.

The one who is a political scientist argues that the reform of the school tax. Meanwhile, established at the height of the pandemic by the Legault government, deprives schools and centers of school income from income substantial.

Six years later, it is nearly 8 billion money that we did not seek thanks to this taxlaunches Mr. Therefore, Fortin in an interview with Radio-Canada.

For the 2018-2019 school year, 12.6 % ($ 1722.5 million) from income from school service centers from school tax, while 78.4 % ($ 10,686.4 million) came from grants from the Ministry of Education.

In 2022-2023, the proportion of their income from the school tax amounted to 6.3 % ($ 1124.8 million), for 85.8 % ($ 15,278.1 million) in ministry’s subsidies.

The reform of the school tax would have precipitated the return of austerity

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Income sheltered politics – Reform school tax "precipitated return

To withdraw from education an autonomous source of income. Meanwhile, in terms of vision, it was still quite specialhe said. Meanwhile, Even in the absence of the impacts, it could be predicted that it was not particularly the best of ideas.

In 2024-2025, the school tax rate was 9.15 ¢ per $ 100 for land evaluation. Additionally, Meanwhile, For the school year 2025-2026 beginner on 1^is July, the government of Quebec brought this rate to 8.42 ¢.

In the eyes of theIRISestablish a single rate of 22 ¢ for each $ 100 of evaluation – either the average rate before the caquist reformspecifies Maxim Fortin – would constitute an interesting avenue.

An exemption for the first $ 25,000 of land value of the building is currently in force. Furthermore, L’IRIS offers to bring this exemption to $ 120,000.

If the school tax is a little sheltered from political decisionsthe granting of the amounts by. the government accuses a large fluctuationsouffle M. Fortin.

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On the other hand. The school tax varies a lot depending on the increase and the decrease in the property value of the buildings, and thatin addition to having tendency to stabilize budgetshe said, It is something that fluctuates less than the political moods of governments.

The government, in addition, is visibly headed towards an austerity logic of compressionshe insists. So what we can anticipate is that transfers will be less reform school tax “precipitated return important. […] For 15 years, these transfers have been subject to significant compression.

On the side of the Minister of Finance’s office

Quebecers are the most taxed. citizens in North America. We will not apologize for working to increase their purchasing powerargues in writing the cabinet of the Minister of. Finance Eric Girard. In particular by capping school tax accounts.

The creation of the single school tax rate in 2020. the cap of increases at 3 % since 2022 have no impact on services, as school service centers are offset via the consolidated fund for the reduction of income.

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The ability to pay Quebecers to limits. Government’s request to school service centers is to respect the envelopes granted, up 5 % for this year. It’s growth, not a cutwe support. The education budget reaches 23.5 billion this year. We are entering a consolidation phase where the objective is to ensure that major investments in recent years are effective. while respecting our ability to pay.

We will reform school tax “precipitated return have to have a reflection on this issue

The CAQ has embellished in a logic of putting money back into the families of families by reducing certain taxes. by reducing certain taxes, sometimes by putting certain checkslance Maxim Fortin. But this logic makes sure that we have no more money to pay public services. that we have to make compressions.

Faced with the lifting of shields that there is in education currently. I think it would really be necessary, but really resume the exercise of thinking about the whole of the school tax […] We will have to have a reflection on this issue.

On the eve of an electoral year in reform school tax “precipitated return Quebec, he believes that political parties wishing to offer quality public services will have to find ways to finance them.

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And that is the big problem of current Quebeche continues. We demand quality services. but when we arrive at methods that reform school tax “precipitated return could finance them, there, we consider that there is too much state, that there is too much bureaucracy, and that we do not have enough for our money.

When we look at the state of schools in Quebec. do we have the means to deprive ourselves of sources of income to save owners when we are in the midst of housing crisis and that it is the tenants who need to be helped?

For once the property value of the buildings benefited, in a way, in the common goodhe says. And there, we turned away from it.