The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Jan. 27, edition that Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a multi-billion-dollar increase to the GST credit to help families with affordability issues. The Globe's Stephanie Levitz and Emily Haws write that Ottawa will give eligible individuals a one-time top-up payment and increase the credit by 25 per cent for five years. The GST credit is paid to low- or moderate-income families to offset the costs of paying the tax. Ottawa said the GST credit -- which is being renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit -- will help as many as 12 million Canadians. The changes will be implemented in July. According to government figures, the increase means a family of four could receive up to $1,890 this year, and about $1,400 a year for the next four years. A single person would receive up to $950 this year, and about $700 a year for the next four years. Mr. Carney told reporters the cost of the increased benefit will be around $3-billion in the first year and upward of $1-billion annually for the subsequent years. The decision to increase the credit reflects how groceries and other items take up a larger share of lower-income Canadians' budgets, increasing their tax burden.