[macu]

The only thing that gets me is that unlike EI, CERB is not taxed up front, so many low-income Canadians claiming it are going to owe taxes on it next year. I would rather it be taxed up front or tax-free for the recipients. People are really going to struggle when it comes back on them.

About the original 4-month term (with 2 additional months at 0.15% tax, $12000 works out to $1800 to pay back):

"A recipient who earns the maximum benefit of $8,000 will have to repay $1,200 at tax time."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/don-t-spend-it-all...

[aledalgrande]

I think it's better to have more cashflow during the pandemic and pay the taxes later. Taxes can also be payed in installments. Obviously, all this doesn't matter if someone is not good at managing cashflow.