The Charest government is meeting with Quebecers to discuss their thoughts on taxation and paying down the deficit.
At the Liberal general council meeting in Drummondville, 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal, Charest put the question of how to balance the books to Quebecers.
"Eventually you have to pay for what you want in life and we don't want to cut services so there's a debate on what we should do," said Finance Minister Raymond Bachand.
The Liberal government has already announced a 1-per-cent sales tax in 2011. The announcement follows a $3.9 billion provincial deficit projection for 2009. The government said it promises to balance the budget in the next four years.
User fees, such as licensing, may also be raised.
"If we check user fees in Quebec, we're talking about $650 lower in Quebec per year, per capita, so its significant. We're talking about $4 to $5 billion less in user fees in Quebec than in the rest of Canada, so its an area we need to look at to return the equilibrium," said Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac.
