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Less Income for More Hours of Work: Barriers to Work for Social Assistance Recipients in B.C

Author

Listed:
  • Gillian Petit

    (University of Calgary)

  • Craig Scott

    (University of Calgary)

  • Blake Gallacher

    (University of Calgary)

  • Jennifer Zwicker

    (University of Calgary)

  • Lindsay Tedds

    (University of Calgary)

Abstract

Individuals accept additional paid work, in terms of salary increase or more hours, with the expectation they will be financially better off than before. Unfortunately, for recipients of Income Assistance in the province of British Columbia, additional hours of employment or an increase in wages, such as an increase in minimum wage, in some circumstances may actually take money out of their pocket. This is due to the design of Income Assistance and its unintended interactions with other income and social support programs and the tax system. In this paper, we illustrate cases where B.C. residents receiving Disability Assistance or Temporary Assistance (the two main programs that comprise Income Assistance in B.C.) have less after-tax income after working additional hours of employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Gillian Petit & Craig Scott & Blake Gallacher & Jennifer Zwicker & Lindsay Tedds, 2020. "Less Income for More Hours of Work: Barriers to Work for Social Assistance Recipients in B.C," SPP Briefing Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 13(16), July.
    • Handle: RePEc:clh:briefi:v:13:y:2020:i:16
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Carter & Christopher Barrett, 2006. "The economics of poverty traps and persistent poverty: An asset-based approach," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 178-199.
    2. Stephanie Dunn & Jennifer D. Zwicker, 2018. "Policy Brief – Why is Uptake of the Disability Tax Credit Low in Canada? Exploring Possible Barriers to Access," SPP Briefing Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 11(2), January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kesselman, Jonathan & Petit, Gillian, 2020. "Earnings Supplementation for British Columbia: Pros, Cons, and Structure," MPRA Paper 105931, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Cameron, Anna & Tedds, Lindsay M., 2020. "Gender-based analyisis plus (GBA+) and Intersectionality: Overview, an enhanced framework, and B.C. Case Study," MPRA Paper 105936, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Petit, Gillian & Tedds, Lindsay M., 2020. "Programs-Based Overview of Income and Social Support Programs for Working-Age Persons in British Columbia," MPRA Paper 105924, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Petit, Gillian & Tedds, Lindsay M., 2020. "Income Assistance in British Columbia: Reforms Along Basic Income Lines," MPRA Paper 105933, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Craig W. M. Scott & Patrick Berrigan & Ronald D. Kneebone & Jennifer D. Zwicker, 2022. "Disability Considerations for Measuring Poverty in Canada Using the Market Basket Measure," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 389-407, August.
    6. Jennifer, Robson & Lindsay M., Tedds, 2023. "The Canada Disability Benefit: Battling Abelism in Design and Implementation," MPRA Paper 116191, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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