Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Alberta spends more per capita on health care than B.C or Ontario. Much of the revenue spent on health care comes from energy royalties. Maintaining those spending levels - never mind increasing them - means some combination of:
A) Keeping oil and gas activity high.
B) Increasing taxes to the levels of other provinces (ie introduce a PST).
C) Running growing deficits.
Any party interested in ‘addressing health care’ needs to be honest about these options. The UCP are honest about the importance of A, but are dishonest in not acknowledging that global oil prices are outside their control. Neither party seems interested in B. And the easy way out for both would be relying on C (though the UCP are probably more deficit-adverse than the NDP).
Jim Prentince was speaking the truth about government entitlements and public finances when he said Albertans need to ‘look in the mirror.’ And look where that got him politically.
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That was in the NDP platform. Raise business taxes to the lowest in Canada to help cover costs. The UCP made similar promises on expenses, but had no way to pay for it. One party was honest.