Alberta budget

[suntan]

Yeah all the other provinces with PSTs have no deficits at all.

[Xtrema]

Things that looks odd to me and if someone can explain the logic:

- UCP write off the rail contract while keeping curtailment in place for another year. While Husky is cutting investment laying off people b/c of curtailment. Why not ride out the contract for more revenue? Even if it only break even, it would have spur some more investments.

- So if the tax bracket freeze in place forever or just this year's budget?

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Yeah all the other provinces with PSTs have no deficits at all.

When pushed, Toews say the government has no interest pushing for PST..... with qualifier - this session of gov.


Overall, I'm disappointed at this budget in the sense that it doesn't feel much different than NDP's except everyone still pay more but with less people working. It's still a pray oil can be $100/barrel again budget.

[suntan]

Let's just understand this - having a PST won't make a difference to either improvement of services or to lowering the deficit.

[Xtrema]

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Let's just understand this - having a PST won't make a difference to either improvement of services or to lowering the deficit.

May be a fighting chance to put oil royalty back into Heritage fund instead of OPEX.

[ExtraSlow]

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May be a fighting chance to put oil royalty back into Heritage fund instead of OPEX.

I don't think the voters would stand for a PST, so I'm not saying it's a viable political option. However, putting variable revenue sources (like resource royalties) somewhere other than OPEX makes a HUGE amount of sense. I personally think heritage fund is the right place, but hey, I could be convinced of another location.

[suntan]

Overall, I'm disappointed at this budget in the sense that it doesn't feel much different than NDP's except everyone still pay more but with less people working. It's still a pray oil can be $100/barrel again budget.

We will have deficits. That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as it's kept in check. Interest rates will never rise to high levels again unless as a result of very poor monetary policy by the BoC.

But $100 billion is very extreme considering Alberta's population. Ontario's basically at their debt ceiling. Any higher and their bonds will be junk.

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I don't think the voters would stand for a PST, so I'm not saying it's a viable political option. However, putting variable revenue sources (like resource royalties) somewhere other than OPEX makes a HUGE amount of sense. I personally think heritage fund is the right place, but hey, I could be convinced of another location.

Well then this budget makes sense. Slowly undo the damage the NDP wrought - borrowed funds were used for daily operating expenses - and go from there.

[gmc72]

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Getting their AISH benefits getting capped must suck.

Actually, AISH doesn't even cover the cost of living these days. My Father In Law can't work due to mental illness and the family has to supplement his income so he can have any kind of decent life.

So yes, getting AISH benefits capped does suck.

[ExtraSlow]

I'm not on board with making fun of AISH recipients.

[suntan]

AISH has never paid for the cost of living in any decade.

[kertejud2]

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- So if the tax bracket freeze in place forever or just this year's budget?

"Forever" in the sense that the de-indexing is being used as a way to project income tax revenue increases to 2023. But not in forever that it could be changed before then if they want to

[Tik-Tok]

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I don't think the voters would stand for a PST, so I'm not saying it's a viable political option.

Are you saying that if the UCP brought in a PST, Albertans wouldn't vote them back in next election? I'm pretty sure they've got it in the bag for the 40 years or so.

[Xtrema]

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Are you saying that if the UCP brought in a PST, Albertans wouldn't vote them back in next election? I'm pretty sure they've got it in the bag for the 40 years or so.

I think Kenney will be ejected immediately. Just like Stalemach was. Party will be around.

[pheoxs]

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Are you saying that if the UCP brought in a PST, Albertans wouldn't vote them back in next election? I'm pretty sure they've got it in the bag for the 40 years or so.

Yup. One or two budgets from now all they'd have to announce is that the NDP fucked the books so badly that they have no choice and they are implementing it. People would still vote for them in the end, hell it might even give them more support as it stokes the anti-ndp fire

[killramos]

Or we could learn to live within our means with reasonable levels of public services.

Nah that would be silly.

[Tik-Tok]

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I think Kenney will be ejected immediately. Just like Stalemach was. Party will be around.

There's no way. This is Kenney's party. He bought it, and owns it.

[Ca_Silvia13]

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Yup. One or two budgets from now all they'd have to announce is that the NDP fucked the books so badly that they have no choice and they are implementing it. People would still vote for them in the end, hell it might even give them more support as it stokes the anti-ndp fire

Still requires a referendum so no it won't ever go ahead in this province. Hack and Slash is the AB way.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

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I'm not on board with making fun of AISH recipients.

I don’t think raj was trying to poke fun at AISH recipients. More so people who are bad with money.

My uncles has been in AISH since he was 18 and it’s a very small amount of money.

[sabad66]

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Still requires a referendum so no it won't ever go ahead in this province. Hack and Slash is the AB way.

really? what's preventing a government from deciding a PST on their own without a referendum?

[suntan]

There's a law that says a referendum is required.

Gov't could rollback the law but that's generally considered unseemly.

[pheoxs]

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really? what's preventing a government from deciding a PST on their own without a referendum?

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/A36.pdf

A referendum would be required. Would be a hard sell but if they push hard an agenda that a) its the NDPs fault (maybe throw in the liberal feds too for good measure) and b) the other option is higher income taxes it might be enough to sway the public to accept it.