Resolution in favour of increased tax breaks for volunteer firefighters

Resolution in favour of increased tax breaks for volunteer firefighters

At the MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting on April 19, council supported a resolution originally from the MRC of Maskinongé, requesting that the Quebec government change the way salaries paid to volunteer firefighters are taxed.

The resolution asks that province adopt recommendations from l’Association des gestionnaires en sécurité incendie et civile du Québec (AGSICQ), which the organization submitted to the minister of finance in pre-budget consultations. The resolution asks the government to:

• increase the tax credit for part-time and volunteer firefighters to $1,500
• establish a tax exemption for the first $10,000 earned
• that the hours worked as a firefighter don’t count towards the firefighter’s family income

MRC Fire and Public Safety Coordinator Julien Gagnon said that in the 2023 Quebec budget the volunteer and part-time firefighter tax credit was increased, but it wasn’t equal to what the resolution was asking for.