Implementing universal basic income could cut poverty rates up to 40%: PBO
Feb 19, 2025 | 7:04 AM
OTTAWA — The government’s fiscal watchdog says a guaranteed basic income program at the federal level could cut poverty rates in Canada by up to 40 per cent.
In a new report, the parliamentary budget officer says that a Canadian family in the lowest earning group could expect to receive an average of $6,100 in annual disposable income through such a program.
Higher earners could see their income levels drop because of changes in the tax system to implement the basic income support.
This report is predicting a more modest impact on poverty rates than the PBO’s 2021 report — which said that a guaranteed basic income could cut national poverty rates almost in half.
