Quebec's education minister has confirmed that school taxes will increase this year, but the increase will not be terribly steep.
Yves Bolduc said he expects school boards will raise their tax rates by one to three per cent.
"You know it's not an increase like last year. It's just that with the cost of living it's possible that they, school taxes, can have a small increase but we don't want to have an increase like last year with the Parti Quebecois," said Bolduc.
Last year some school boards hiked their tax rates by over 20 per cent after the PQ government cut $100 million from board budgets.
That tax hike resulted in a long battle between the boards and the provincial government, with then-education minister Marie Malavoy initially approving the increase, then months later demanding school boards cut their budgets, and not just raise rates to make up for lost income.
Bolduc hinted that inflationary hikes would become the norm with the next four-and-a-half years of Liberal rule.
"It's normal that every year there is a small increase because of the inflation," said Bolduc, adding that quality services for students cost money.
“You know, you have to pay people that work in classes,” he said.
The Coalition Avenir Quebec is not impressed with any tax hike, but that party seeks to abolish all school boards in the province.
“Why didyou decide to make it the new policy to deny your word?” said CAQ leader Francois Legault.
Premier Philippe Couillard did not explain why his party changed its tune about not increasing taxes.
“The priority is to reestablish budgetary equilibrium,” he said.
A PQ plan to reimburse $100 million in school taxes to taxpayers is also up for review.
The CAQ can't believe the Liberal switch
“Taxpayers already pay enough so we need right now at least to stop increasing tariffs and taxes,” said Legault.
The CAQ would like to eliminate school boards altogether; the PQ wants the 72 school boards to be trimmed back to 30.
“There is scope there to reduce the increase in expenditures and to help them, I think we should regroup them,” said PQ finance critic Nicolas Marceau.
School boards have been criticized for lavish spending and Marceau said he wonders why the Liberals are so protective of school boards.
“In the past they have been very, very close to the school board lobbies,” he said.
The Liberal announcement Wednesday may be just a foretaste of what is to come in next week's budget, when the party reveals the rest of its plans to work on returning Quebec's financial house to order.
