Behind the Numbers
Iglika Ivanova sets out a compelling argument for raising the minimum wage — in just four-pages of clear, accessible text. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to be able to explain why the minimum wage needs to increase immediately — and why this won’t hurt businesses or taxpayers, despite claims to the contrary.
For example, she explains why tax cuts do not make up for a low minimum wage:
“Low-wage workers in BC do pay less provincial income tax than in other provinces. But they still have the lowest take-home (after-tax) pay in Canada… Even if BC’s minimum wage workers paid zero provincial income tax, they’d still take home less than minimum wage workers in every other province.”
About the author
Iglika Ivanova
Iglika Ivanova is a Senior Economist and the Public Interest Researcher at the CCPA’s BC Office. She researches and writes on key social and economic challenges facing BC and Canada, including poverty, economic insecurity and labour market shifts towards more precarious work. Iglika is Co-Director of the Understanding Precarity in BC Project (UP-BC). Iglika also investigates issues of government finance, tax policy and privatization and how they relate to the accessibility and quality of public services. She is particularly interested in the potential for public policy to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable economy. Follow Iglika on Twitter
