October 7, 1999
(Finance)

Newfoundland Seniors' Benefit payments in mail tomorrow

More than 34,000 seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador will receive their first payments under the Newfoundland Seniors' Benefit this week. The first cheques will be in the mail tomorrow, October 8, along with GST/HST credit and Newfoundland HST Credit (NHSTC) payments. Individuals with direct deposit to bank accounts will receive their benefit October 8 as well.

The Newfoundland Seniors' Benefit was announced in the 1999 Budget as a measure to assist low income seniors right across Newfoundland and Labrador. The government recognizes that some of the province's seniors live in difficult financial circumstances, and this new benefit is designed to provide some measure of relief to them.

The benefit will be $200 for seniors with a family net income of $12,000 or less, and will be phased out at a rate of 2.5 per cent of income as family income rises from $12,000 to $20,000. The new seniors' benefit will complement existing income tax benefits for seniors, which include pension income and age credits.

Social assistance recipients who qualify for the Seniors' Benefit should note that this payment will not cause a reduction in their social assistance benefits.

Seniors do not need to make special application for this benefit as long as they, or their spouse, filed a 1998 income tax return and applied for the federal GST/HST credit.

Media contact: Paula Dyke, Communications, (709) 729-0329

1999 10 07                  10:55 a.m.