Published: Saturday, 28 October 2017
Written by Tanner Wallace-Scribner
see article text copied below from the following source: Swift Current Online
Premier Brad Wall gave his final throne speech on Wednesday.
During the speech, Wall announced that the Saskatchewan government would introduce a new seniors education property tax deferral program.
The program would give seniors who have a household income under $70,000 the option of deferring the education portion of the property tax on their home.
Pat Trask, president of the Saskatchewan Seniors Association, says there are so many other things the government could have done to help seniors better.
“I didn’t get very excited about the program,” she said. “There are so many other things they could do to help seniors. While the program might be a little help to some, the government’s actions and things they have cut for seniors have hurt us way more than any help we may get out of this program.”
Trask said that a better option would have been going to seniors and asking what they could do to help.
“We have a slogan with our Saskatchewan Seniors Association which is plan with seniors not for seniors,” Trask said. “If they had talked to the seniors and said what could we do to help you, what are your problems and what is causing you the most stress, we could certainly have guided them on a different line then what they have got.”
Trask said that she thinks the biggest problem with the senior’s education property tax deferral program is that it’s not going to affect a whole lot of people.
“If it were a program to do with medicine or podiatry or your pills or something like that, it would be a big help, but it isn’t geared towards helping a whole lot of people.”
Trask added that no one minds paying the education tax and it was a problem no one was complaining about.
“I don’t think anyone minds paying the education tax. They have all got children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and when we had our kids in school other people were paying the education tax to educate our people. I don’t think it’s a big thing. I don’t think the education tax would have entered anybody’s mind that it should be something the government should look into.”