Kathleen Ganley, AB NDP leadership hopeful, wants to adjust income taxes for lower income persons. Basic provincial income tax amount would be reduced to $0 for incomes below $26,000. Those earning $148,269 could save up to $400 annually.
Alberta indexing for inflation increased by 2.3 percent for year 2022 from $131,220 to $134,238. Indexing increased by a whopping 6 percent for 2023 from $134,238 to $142,292 (individual income increase $11,000, double income couples possible increase $22,000).
So those with huge indexing increases and incomes six times more than stagnant minimum wage $26,000 income also benefit, why? Tax reductions without concomitant indexed for inflation living wages and reduced indexation of benefits for wealthy are useless as financial spread between wealthy and the impoverished becomes even wider.
Politicians of all political stripes (Ganley and Poilievre) with their $100,000+ incomes always want to decrease taxes, but never decrease benefits on incomes over $100,000.
Financial silos benefiting upper middle class and wealthy need to be replaced with coordinated indexed living wages and benefits based on Market Basket Measure equivalence scales so that impoverished can also live decent financial lives.
Lin Gackle, Cochrane, AB
