Ontario taxpayers will be receiving a $200 rebate starting in 2025, the province says.
“These are tax dollars going back to the taxpayers, and we’re going to give it back to every single person in Ontario,” he said. “And if they have a child, they’re getting an additional $200, because life’s too expensive right now.”
Ford said for a family of five, the rebate would be $1,000.
“That’s money that families can use to pay off their credit card after the holidays, to buy a winter coat for their kids, or to cover the cost of gassing up the family car,” he said during the conference.
The rebate is expected to cost about $3 billion, the release said. Ford argued the province can afford the measure because inflation has increased provincial sales tax revenues, and because of the federal government’s recent changes to the capital gains tax.
Those eligible for the rebate must be 18 years or older, a resident of Ontario, and have filed a 2023 income tax return. Those who are bankrupt or incarcerated in 2024 will not be eligible, the release said. Families who did not receive the Canada Child Benefit in 2024 could still be eligible for the rebate through an alternative process.
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie criticized the rebate announcement as a “pre-election gimmick,” at a separate press conference on Oct. 29, and said that the government should instead be putting money toward a promised tax cut if they want to save people money.
Ford was asked by reporters at the conference if the rebate was being offered to woo voters amid speculation that he could call an early election next year. The next scheduled election in Ontario is June 2026.
Ford responded that his government has been trying to help people keep more money in their pockets since “day one.”
The premier previously ruled out calling an election in 2024, but has not said if he would be in favour of calling an early election in 2025.
