The following table provides the information requested by the hon. member form Capilano-Howe Sound.
The data in this table are based on Statistics Canada's survey of consumer finances for 1991 incomes, the latest year for which incomes data are available.
There are a number of different definitions of family. For the purposes of this tabulation, an "immediate family" concept has been used. Thus, a family is defined as either a husband and wife (including common law relationships) with or without children who have never married, or a parent living in the same dwelling with children who have never married. All other persons (including single persons living alone) are defined as a separate family unit. Thus, many recipients of federal transfers would show up in high income families because they live with high income parents/children. For example, a child receiving UI benefits could be living with high income parents.
The table shows transfers before taxes. Thus, the table does not show the effect of OAS recovered from high income individuals. About $300 million of OAS benefits are recovered from individuals with incomes above $51,800. This represents about 15 per cent of total OAS paid to families in the top three deciles. While the entire OAS is recovered from an individual at $81,000 of income, a lower income spouse living with a spouse who has high income is not subject to the recovery.
Family allowances and child tax credit have been replaced by the child tax benefit since 1993. The table does not show the distribution in respect of the new program because the relevant data are not yet available. However, a table showing average child tax benefit by income follows.
Notes: (1) Incomes from some of the transfers in this table are not fully reported in the survey. For example, the survey does
not cover residents of Yukon and Northwest territories, Indian reserves and institutions (including homes for the aged). In the case of OAS, some $1 billion are not captured in the survey data. Further, incomes from some of the transfers are under-reported in the survey. (Reporting on the Survey of Consumer Finances is estimated by Statistics Canada to be 100 per cent for OAS, and 85 per cent for the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans and for Unemployment Insurance.) Hence total expenditures on each program may not correspond with actual expenditures.
(2) A family consists of either a husband and wife (including common law relationships) with or without never married children or a parent with never married children, living in the same dwelling. All other persons (including a single person living by himself/herself) are defined as separate family units.
(3) Each income decile represents about 1,150,000 family units.
(4) OAS expenditures are before taxes are collected, inluding the high income recovery.
(5) Statistics Canada data does not report Canada and Quebec pension plan benefits separately.
(6) The table does not include a number of other federal transfers to persons (e.g. veterans pensions and allowances) because Statistics Canada data does not report these transfers separately.
Question No. 14-