Canada Ping!
Posted on 04/21/2015 1:34:04 PM PDT by Squawk 8888
With just six months before the next election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s governing Conservatives have introduced a budget that offers attractive tax breaks for targeted voters and puts the country’s finances back into a precariously small surplus.
The economic blueprint introduced Tuesday by Finance Minister Joe Oliver also sets aside new money over the next few years for enhanced national security, including money for the Canadian Forces, and municipal infrastructure projects such as public transit.
But with little money in the kitty — this year’s surplus will be just $1.4 billion and won’t grow rapidly in future years — much of the big-ticket funding promised by Oliver wouldn’t be delivered until mid-way, or even near the end, of another presumed Conservative mandate.
The government said there will be a $2-billion deficit for 2014-15, and that it will gradually rise into a surplus: $1.4 billion in 2015-16; $1.7 billion in 2016-17; $2.6 billion in 2017-18; $2.6 billion in 2018-19; and $4.8 billion in 2019-20.
The government’s ability to post a surplus this year was aided by the fact that instead of setting aside the usual $3-billion reserve fund, it is now only setting aside $1 billion as a contingency.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...
Canada Ping!
Small is better than none at all!.....................
I wish that Harper would make it a line in the budget, where whatever amount needs to be paid to pay the interest and perhaps $5 billion on the principle and that is what will be budgeted until the debt is paid back. If the Liberals in 1992 had done this, we would have been debt free by 2004.
There is no excuse why this can’t be done and $5 billion is such a relatively small amount of money that it could be done without it being debated.
debt to gdp is 00 percent? I thought it would be low. what the hell are they spending all that money on. an this year there is a surplus? I’m confused.
Politicians, of whatever stripe, hate to let money go to waste like paying down the debt.....................it supposed to be used for buying votes!...............
This is an election year budget, that’s one thing for sure.
Liberals and NDP are upset there’s no money for Global Warming ,LOL
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