The federal government’s claims its “middle-class tax cut” will lift 40,000 Canadians out of poverty strike oddly against calculations the cut will save lower-income Canadians between $37 and $137 per year.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Monday, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos praised Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s plan to extend the Basic Personal Amount (BPA) exemption from $12,000 to $15,000, this coming January.

Calculations by University of British Columbia economics professor Kevin Milligan note families with incomes up to $20,000 only save $37 per year with the cut, while families earning $20,000-40,000 save only $137 per year.

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