Budget reaction floods in from all sides
Posted Feb 9, 2012 6:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Opposition party reaction to the budget has taken on a movie and song theme.
The Wildrose dubbing it an “Alison Wonderland” budget, while the Liberals call the document, Livin on a Prayer.
“It’s absolute fantasy land, what we are seeing they’re relying on resource revenues once again to be able to bail them out. This is not a revenue problem, this is a spending problem, that they are refusing to address,” said Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith.
The Liberals says the budget is fiscally irresponsible and fails to factor in the cost of expected contract deals with teachers and physicians.
NDP leader Brian Mason likes some of the social spending increases, like the $400 a month increase to AISH recipients, but expects the government to make deep cuts after the spring election.
The Alberta School Boards Association is pleased with a stable three year plan for education funding.
President Jacquie Hansen says they are cautiously optimistic, but the reality is that only a portion of the increase is in base student funding.
School boards will still be challenged to do more just to maintain core programming and services.
According to the Friends of Medicare’s Dave Eggen, there are no surprises in the budget… with vague promises of more family care clinics and health care providers.
Eggen says one of his main concerns is the government will continue down the road of privatization.
The province is increasing health spending by nearly 8 per cent from last year, largely thanks to an increase in health transfers from the feds.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauds the fact the new Alberta budget does not include any new taxes or tax increases.
However, spokesperson Scott Hennig points out, the budget also includes some lofty projections on future economic growth.
Hennig says the budget again shows, that the government doesn’t have a revenue problem, but a spending problem, a problem he says really needs to be addressed and sooner rather than later.
A leading tax firm says there isn’t much in the provincial budget in the way of tax initiatives.
Jim MacGowan is the managing partner at Deloitte’s Calgary Private Company Practice says he’s not surprised the budget was rather routine.
He says with a looming election, the Redford government wants another mandate.
