{"id":291764,"date":"2015-09-02T20:01:02","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T00:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/2015\/09\/lifting-seniors-out-of-poverty\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:20:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:20:16","slug":"lifting-seniors-out-of-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2015\/09\/lifting-seniors-out-of-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifting seniors out of poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NDP has promised<\/a> to boost the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by $400 million as an \u201cimportant step in lifting 200,000 seniors out of poverty\u201d. Sounds lovely, but what can $400 million accomplish?<\/p>\n

The NDP does not claim everyone will benefit from a GIS increase, rather they are targeting the seniors that are \u201cmost in need\u201d. They don\u2019t define exactly who they think that is. So, let\u2019s try a few things to get a range for the effectiveness of this policy move.<\/p>\n

According to the most recent actuarial report on the OAS program<\/a> there will be 1,882 thousand GIS beneficiaries in 2016 (see Appendix E in the Actuarial Report). Adding $400 million directly to benefits would then raise average payments by $212 per year, or about $18 per month.<\/p>\n

The OAS Act currently defines one\u2019s GIS benefit according to one\u2019s marital status. Putting aside our differential treatment of widows and divorcees before age 65, I\u2019ll focus on what happens after age 65 and limit my attention to the differential between single and married seniors.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve pointed out before<\/a>, and reproduced in the graph below, the maximum rates for OAS and GIS for our poorest seniors are enough to get married seniors up to low income cut-offs, but not single seniors. So, perhaps we can focus on them.<\/p>\n

\"2015-GIS-39.4.schirle_fig01f\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There will be 1,119 thousand single seniors receiving GIS in 2016. Dedicating $400 million to their benefits would add $357 per year to their budget, or almost $30 per month. That’s not much.<\/p>\n

If we target even better, and only increase benefits to those with no other taxable income (so that they receive full GIS benefits), we would target about 184000 seniors \u2013 which seems to align with the NDP\u2019s stated target of 200000 seniors in poverty! Then we could add $2174 to the annual budgets of the worst off seniors. That\u2019s about $181 per month.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s certainly not enough to get an urban single senior up to the poverty line, but certainly can get them closer in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

There is much to be said about targeting benefits! Unfortunately such initiatives tend to be very political and I do not find recent inclinations toward universal benefits (including those by the NDP) encouraging.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NDP has promised to boost the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) by $400 million as an \u201cimportant step in lifting 200,000 seniors out of poverty\u201d. Sounds lovely, but what can $400 million accomplish? 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