No big
surprises and no cut to the provincial sales
tax, but more money for children and
families and skills training.
Those are the highlights of the liberal
government's provincial budget.
Despite rumours, Finance Minister Carole
Taylor has not cut the PST, announcing
instead a package of tax cuts worth 733
million dollars over four years.
They include raising the luxury tax
threshold on vehicles to 55-thousand
dollars, eliminating the PST on computer
maintenance, and raising the homeowners
grant by 100 dollars.
But the focus of the budget is children,
there's 421 million dollars over four years
including 72 million to add more social
workers and front line staff.
More money for mental health services for
children and youth and to reduce waitlists
for services to kids with special needs, as
well the Ministry of Children and Families
will see a budget hike of 200 million in the
coming year, with another 100 million over
three years set aside for additional
services including the government's response
to reviews of the child care system.
There is also more money for the coroners’
service to deal with child death reviews.
The budget also includes 400 million over
four years to increase training and skills
development.
An extra 112 million in increased funding
for education over three years, and 301
million in new funding for health care over
the same period.
The government expects to finish the
current fiscal year with a surplus of about
1.5 billion plus a 300 million dollar
forecast allowance.
Surpluses will decline over the next three
years, with economic growth is pegged at 3.3
per-cent next year declining to 3.1 percent
in the outlying years.
Overall spending will rise by nearly ten
percent over the next three years, much of
that covering the six billion dollars set
aside for public sector contracts.
Total debt will rise by about three
percent a year, much of that for capital
spending on schools, hospitals and roads.
