Tuesday’s federal budget will include a tax increase for the richest Canadians, sources told Radio-Canada.

It is not clear exactly what form the tax measure will take, but senior Liberal sources have told Radio-Canada that it will affect less than one percent of Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers have been touring the country over the past few weeks to make a series of budget announcements.

These announcements add up to commitments of more than $38 billion over several years. Since $17 billion of these commitments are for loan programs, about $21 billion could be directly charged to the Treasury.

Since a large part of the budget’s spending is already public, the focus in tomorrow’s budget will likely be on how the government plans to finance the new programs.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has ruled out tax increases for the middle class.

“We remain absolutely committed to the hard work of Canada’s middle class and will not raise their taxes,” she said last week.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland listens to a speaker during a news conference on a housing announcement in Vancouver, BC, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)

The Trudeau government has a history of making tax changes that have affected wealthier Canadians.

In last year’s federal budget, the Liberals introduced significant changes to the alternative minimum tax rate. These changes affected Canadians earning more than $300,000 per year.

The House of Commons Finance Committee has recommended that the UK government impose a special tax on companies across all sectors that make “excessive” profits in times of crisis, as well as on food giants, to finance a further doubling of the GST refund.