Premier Brian Pallister says Manitobans can expect to begin receiving rebate cheques from the province this year.
At a Thursday press conference — held next to a kitchen table — Pallister said his government is moving ahead with a 2019 election promise to save the average Manitoba taxpayer $2,020 over four years through a series of austerity measures.
Pallister has become well known for his frequent promises to leave more money on the kitchen tables of Manitobans, a tradition he continued Thursday.
“Our government’s keeping our promise to relieve ratepayers and leave more money on their kitchen tables, which is where you need it, after all,” he said.
There was no immediate word on exactly how much the rebate cheques will be worth, but Pallister said they come as the province moves to cut the PST on personal services such as haircuts and salon services and begins to phase out the education property tax.
Pallister said the measures are the final among a list of things his Progressive Conservatives promised to do under a plan dubbed the “$2,020 Tax Rollback Guarantee” during the last provincial election.
The Pallister government has previously announced school divisions will freeze their education property taxes this year and the province will provide a $22.8 million offset grant — equivalent to a two per cent property tax increase — to maintain education funding levels.
Pallister said there would be more details about the plan in next week’s budget.