The Government of Saskatchewan says it is fast-tracking revenue sharing funds to the province’s communities. The government indicates the decision is part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consequently, all municipal sharing funds will be paid in full directly to all compliant Saskatchewan municipalities in June, rather than in installments throughout the year.

Municipal Revenue Sharing is based on the previous 2 years to when it is being dispersed, and is based on 0.75 of one point of PST. The amount of $278 million dollars was already known, it’s the time frame for dispensing the money which has changed.

In the 2017-18 budget, PST was increased from five to six per cent. It was also expanded to include things like purchases of children’s clothing, restaurant meals and construction services. And the revenue sharing formula was previously based on one point of PST revenue.

As recently as Tuesday, the Opposition NDP was calling on the provincial government to invest in Saskatchewan’s economic recovery by removing the PST from construction labour for municipal projects.

Information on the Municipal Revenue Sharing program and fund distribution can be found here.