Federal budget to include groceries rebate, increase RESP withdrawal limit: source

OTTAWA -— A federal source says Tuesday’s budget will extend the temporary boost to the GST rebate for low-income Canadians, but will frame the payment as help with the rising cost of groceries.

The government official, who was granted anonymity to discuss matters that will not be public until the budget is released, said it will also include an increase to the withdrawal limit for a registered education savings plan to $8,000 from $5,000.

The measures, which will be part of the federal government’s plan to help with affordability in the budget, were first reported by CBC News.

The grocery rebate is not expected to be tied to actual grocery bills and is instead set to be administered through the GST rebate system. It would provide up to $234 for a single person with no children, $467 for a couple with two children and $225 for a senior citizen, the same amounts as the government offered with the temporary doubling of the GST rebate last fall.

The NDP had called on the federal government to extend the measure.