Sask. begins mailing out $500 affordability tax credit cheques to residents

Sask. residents struggling with affordability WATCH: More people in Sask. are saying that it is becoming more difficult to afford basic necessities. Luke Simard has more.

The Government of Saskatchewan began mailing out $500 affordability cheques to residents late last week.

The province said the majority of the Saskatchewan Affordability Tax Credit cheques will be mailed out to residents over the next two weeks, according to the Ministry of Finance.

All Saskatchewan residents who are 18 or older as of Dec. 31, 2022, who have filed a tax return in Saskatchewan for the 2021 tax year will receive a cheque, the province said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced the initiative in August, aiming to help residents with rising costs due to inflation.

The cheques are being funded by a budget surplus created by higher than expected natural resource revenues.

The credit cheque initiative was met with some criticism from the Saskatchewan NDP, with the opposition stating the $500 is not enough to address the current financial burdens residents are experiencing and that children and families were left out of the plan.

A total of 900,000 individuals are estimated to receive the tax credit payment. The province said additional payments may be sent out over the next two to three months to address anyone who filed taxes late or changed their primary mailing address.

The dispersal of cheques is expected to be complete by the end of January.