Alberta budget news

[GP_Matt]

I just finished participating in a very in depth survey put out by the provincial government that went through every department and listed areas for possible reductions and the associated savings. They then went into revenue sources and listed ways to raise more money with a running total on the side of your projected surplus or deficit.
I am sad to say that I could not balance the budget through cuts alone, although it didn't give me the option to eliminate Alberta Health Services altogether leaving the province with a 16 billion dollar surplus and royalty checks for all.
To balance the budget I had to bring back a small health premium and add another tax bracket at $250000 of 14%. I also wanted to raise the small business tax rate but that option wasn't presented.
Definitely interesting, unfortunately it isn't available to the public. Although that is probably a good thing assuming they are going to use the information. I can just imagine the jihad if they left budgeting up to online voting.

[killer_carlson]

Was it done through the PCs or was it done through the government?

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Was it done through the PCs or was it done through the government?

Through the government, although it is often hard to tell the difference. The preamble to the survey sounded eerily similar to Alison Redford's speech from Thursday.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I just finished participating in a very in depth survey put out by the provincial government that went through every department and listed areas for possible reductions and the associated savings. They then went into revenue sources and listed ways to raise more money with a running total on the side of your projected surplus or deficit.
I am sad to say that I could not balance the budget through cuts alone, although it didn't give me the option to eliminate Alberta Health Services altogether leaving the province with a 16 billion dollar surplus and royalty checks for all.
To balance the budget I had to bring back a small health premium and add another tax bracket at $250000 of 14%. I also wanted to raise the small business tax rate but that option wasn't presented.
Definitely interesting, unfortunately it isn't available to the public. Although that is probably a good thing assuming they are going to use the information. I can just imagine the jihad if they left budgeting up to online voting.

I can only assume that you'll be purchasing an ALP membership, now that you have seen the light!

[killer_carlson]

yeah.... I thought so.

I've heard a bunch of that rhetoric in Edmonton lately. I'm concerned that the distinction between actual government and the governing party is being blurred.

If the PCs want to do this research, great - fantastic idea. But if it's the government advancing the position of a party on a highly contentious issue I think it's the cart before the horse. In my mind, the government ought to be responding to the direction of the legislature, not involved in directing it.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I just finished participating in a very in depth survey put out by the provincial government that went through every department and listed areas for possible reductions and the associated savings.

Here's $275MM cut for you.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Al...786/story.html

[The Fonz]

I'm not an Albertan, but is everyone really so opposed to a sales tax? On top of paying less provincial tax than other provinces, Alberta is the only province that doesn't have a sales tax implemented (5%-10% everywhere else).

Like I said, I'm not from Alberta and know nothing about your budget, but speaking as an ignorant outsider it seems obvious to me that the province needs to incorporate a sales tax. There has to be a butt tonne of people in AB sitting on a butt tonne of cash.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Alberta is the only province that doesn't have a sales tax implemented (5%-10% everywhere else).

Why should we pay sales tax just because other provinces do? We certainly don't get the $8 a day day care like Quebec does here.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Here's $275MM cut for you.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Al...786/story.html

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01...r-bureaucrats/

Phillips said the original budget was $356 million, but the costs were reduced because of the downturn in the economy.

How nice of them to sacrifice

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Why should we pay sales tax just because other provinces do? We certainly don't get the $8 a day day care like Quebec does here.

If you wanna pay the highest provincial income tax in the country, like Quebec does, then maybe you can have day care. Quebec's lowest rate is 16%, while Alberta's highest is 10%....so yeah, there is that.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I'm not an Albertan, but is everyone really so opposed to a sales tax? On top of paying less provincial tax than other provinces, Alberta is the only province that doesn't have a sales tax implemented (5%-10% everywhere else).

Like I said, I'm not from Alberta and know nothing about your budget, but speaking as an ignorant outsider it seems obvious to me that the province needs to incorporate a sales tax. There has to be a butt tonne of people in AB sitting on a butt tonne of cash.

So because the other provinces are high taxing and high spending idiots we should do the same? Look how well Ontario and Quebec is doing with all those taxes. They both have near crippling debt.

[Azure]

Well Alberta has a serious problem, and if you want to retain the services you have, at some point you have to increase tax revenue.

Even if you make health services more efficient, I doubt you save $6 billion per year.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think the problem is that we are low taxing, high spending idiots though.

Yeah, there is an expectation that energy revenues are going to allow for low taxes, better services for the people, and be able to contribute a huge whack of cash to a savings fund that no other province in the country has. Still even if spending was cut to the lowest levels in the country...our great overlord oil is still going to fall short in keeping our taxes at their current level, and not be able to contribute a dime to the Heritage Trust fund.

[Frequitude]

I would welcome a PST. I don't want to leave less to my children just so I can say I payed less taxes.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by fotze

I hope my children get the fata out of here by the time they reach working age, all the oil will be gone and it will be a giant money pit liability.

If by "here" you mean Canada then yeah. If Alberta ran out of Oil, Canada would be screwed. Would we start clear cutting and selling all our water?

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I would welcome a PST. I don't want to leave less to my children just so I can say I payed less taxes.

Just a thought, but you could put away 5% of everything you spend into a piggy bank and give that to your kids. They might like it even more than a debt free province.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I would welcome a PST. I don't want to leave less to my children just so I can say I payed less taxes.

Kill the fat cats is the way to leave more to your children and not making the fat cats even fatter with you beloved PST.

[crazy_eoj]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I would welcome a PST. I don't want to leave less to my children just so I can say I payed less taxes.

I hope we all demand value. I don't want to leave less to my children just so we could say we spent way more.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by crazy_eoj

I hope we all demand value. I don't want to leave less to my children just so we could say we spent way more.

The way to leave more to my children is to give less to the government.

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

Just a thought, but you could put away 5% of everything you spend into a piggy bank and give that to your kids. They might like it even more than a debt free province.

Ok, we can hope that people do things that are responsible? How about we hope that people don't abuse the health care system, or when they get injuries to get deal with it knowing that the cost of burdening the system likely isn't worth it?

Or, that we expect people to save all of the gains they're making from artificially low taxes removing the need for a sovereign wealth fund (as you suggest).

Considering that these recommendations exist in a fantasy they're not worthy to even consider.