Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ditched plans to pursue a $100 million private school voucher program in the state’s annual spending plan amid a deadlock between Republican and Democratic leaders. Mr. Shapiro announced the decision to pull the program to pay for tuition at private and religious schools—known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success scholarship program—in…

MPs unanimously passed legislation today to temporarily double GST rebates to help low- and modest-income Canadians, and the bill will now be sent to the Senate. The federal government has been facing political pressure for months to deliver relief to Canadians who are dealing with rising inflation. Once the bill becomes law, people who are…

The IRS audited 197 low-income families for every high-wealth family in 2019, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—a number that some experts expected to climb under an IRS turbocharged with more money and manpower. Over the next decade, the Democrat’s new “Inflation Reduction Act” will provide the IRS with 87,000 new agents and $80…

LOS ANGELES—The nonprofit Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles announced Dec. 16 that it will provide $300 for groceries and other essentials to 5,000 families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for the holiday season. The money will be provided through the GIVEN 2.0 initiative launched by the Mayor’s Fund. GIVEN stands for Grocery Intervention for Vital Emergency Needs. The recipients,…

COVID-19 has punctured the livelihood of the poor in India, especially low-income women, most of whom are either deserted, widowed or shouldering the burden of care for their children, the old, and the sick.  The scenario was more evident in rural India, where their mobility and social interactions within the community was impeded by male…

The vast majority of minimum-wage earners in Canada don’t live in low-income households, and most are teens or young adults living with family, a new study by the Fraser Institute finds, raising questions about the effectiveness of higher wage floors in reducing poverty. The study, “Who Earns the Minimum Wage in Canada,” found that 92.3…

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave the green light to guarantee taxpayer-funded income of up to $1,000 per month for 12 months for 3,200 Los Angeles families living in poverty. Online applications for The BIG:LEAP, or Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot program will begin on Friday for 10 days, and recipients…

The federal government’s claim of reducing child poverty substantially through its Canada Child Benefit (CCB) doesn’t seem to hold water, a new report suggests. Empirical testing of the claim reveals the cash benefit “skews” toward the middle class rather than helping families mired deeper in poverty, according to the study, “Does the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Actually…

An Orange County nonprofit that donates backpacks to needy children says it will aim to nearly double its contributions for the upcoming school year. Community Action Partnership (CAP OC) announced it hopes to “provide supplies to more students than ever” by giving away 5,000 backpacks to low-income students for the 2021–2022 school year. “No student…

A mother of five has shown how struggling parents can feed their families healthy meals for just 20.21 pounds (approx. US$27.74) a week. Lorna Cooper, from Paisley near Glasgow, Scotland, has shared her budgeted shopping list, along with a weekly meal plan, in a bid to help low-income families feed their children nutritious meals during the…