Amazingly Boring Pre-Election Budget
If the people of Saskatchewan weren't sure that we need a change of government at the provincial level, they damn well should be after the release of today's budget.
In the time of an unprecedented economic boom (which they have still failed to fully capitalize on) Calvert's government has posted a DEFICIT BUDGET!! Despite what radicals such as Buckdog have to say about it actually being a surplus, the numbers don't lie. It's simple math: the revenues do not keep pace with the spending for this given year. That sounds like a deficit to me! This type of budgeting is not sustainable because that "rainy day fund" will not last much longer. My theory is that the NDP knows that it is bound to lose the next election and wants to get rid of that rainy day fund so that none of it is left when the power changes hands.
Other announcements, according to canada.com:
— A $15 cap on the cost of each drug prescription for every senior in the province.
Really? Because seniors add so much to our tax base that they obviously require more of the major spending (regardless of whether they are hard done by financially or ridiculously well off). Or could it be that Seniors in this province are most likely to vote for the NDP, many of whom still being hold-outs from the Douglas era?
— A $10,000 tax exemption for post-secondary school graduates for the first five years after graduation.
I'll give them this. I don't mind it. However, if a healthy business climate existed in Saskatchewan, young people might want to be here all on their own...
— Continuation of a tuition freeze that began in 2004.
Tuition freezes suck. This is bad public policy and doesn't help students. The money used to fund this would better be directed towards improving student financial assistance, then people really in need would benefit, instead of everyone who attends university. Thinking of it this way might require too much thought for Calvert to handle, hence the seniors drug plan... Yes, these two policies are excruciatingly similar in that they cost a lot of money but the assistance is really only needed by a few.
— Continuation of the eight per cent cut to the education portion of property tax for residential and commercial property. Cut will be deepened to 10 per cent if the federal budget passes and the province gets its equalization money.
Good move. It's about time. The best way that the Saskatchewan Government can offer tax relief to the people of Saskatchewan is through property tax reductions.
— Funding for 3,117 additional MRI scans and 5,455 bone mineral density scans to shorten waiting lists.
This is an announcement? Shouldn't it just be happening?
— Creating a dental sealant program for students in Grades 1 to 7 at community schools.
All students? Or those most in need? As it turns out, only for high risk students. So I guess Calvert's realized that young people with families aren't the people who would vote for the NDP unless they are high risk, unlike the senior drug program, which is just for everyone, because most seniors vote for the NDP.
— Social assistance increases of $10 a month for Saskatchewan Assistance Plan and Transitional Employment Allowance recipients and $5 a month increase in the personal living allowance.
Another continuation of the same old programs, just increasing funding. More evidence of a lack of forward thinking on the part of this tired government.
— Fully funding the provincial share of the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization program.
If it is the provincial share, why wasn't it fully funded before? That should be the question.
Now, what about what wasn't in the budget?
- Review of our increasingly expensive health care system
- Addressing the burgeoning bureaucracy
- Some sort of tax incentives for environmentally friendly consumers (isn't the environment the biggest issue on people's minds these days?)
What is surprising, however, is that this is a pre-election budget. Has there been a less inspiring budget? Shouldn't a pre-election budget be full of pizazz and big ticket items? Drugs for seniors and a tuition freeze for PSE students? Those are the big items?
I really can't wait until the next provincial budget when the Saskatchewan Party reintroduces financial prudence and releases some ideas that inspire the people of this fine province.
In the time of an unprecedented economic boom (which they have still failed to fully capitalize on) Calvert's government has posted a DEFICIT BUDGET!! Despite what radicals such as Buckdog have to say about it actually being a surplus, the numbers don't lie. It's simple math: the revenues do not keep pace with the spending for this given year. That sounds like a deficit to me! This type of budgeting is not sustainable because that "rainy day fund" will not last much longer. My theory is that the NDP knows that it is bound to lose the next election and wants to get rid of that rainy day fund so that none of it is left when the power changes hands.
Other announcements, according to canada.com:
— A $15 cap on the cost of each drug prescription for every senior in the province.
Really? Because seniors add so much to our tax base that they obviously require more of the major spending (regardless of whether they are hard done by financially or ridiculously well off). Or could it be that Seniors in this province are most likely to vote for the NDP, many of whom still being hold-outs from the Douglas era?
— A $10,000 tax exemption for post-secondary school graduates for the first five years after graduation.
I'll give them this. I don't mind it. However, if a healthy business climate existed in Saskatchewan, young people might want to be here all on their own...
— Continuation of a tuition freeze that began in 2004.
Tuition freezes suck. This is bad public policy and doesn't help students. The money used to fund this would better be directed towards improving student financial assistance, then people really in need would benefit, instead of everyone who attends university. Thinking of it this way might require too much thought for Calvert to handle, hence the seniors drug plan... Yes, these two policies are excruciatingly similar in that they cost a lot of money but the assistance is really only needed by a few.
— Continuation of the eight per cent cut to the education portion of property tax for residential and commercial property. Cut will be deepened to 10 per cent if the federal budget passes and the province gets its equalization money.
Good move. It's about time. The best way that the Saskatchewan Government can offer tax relief to the people of Saskatchewan is through property tax reductions.
— Funding for 3,117 additional MRI scans and 5,455 bone mineral density scans to shorten waiting lists.
This is an announcement? Shouldn't it just be happening?
— Creating a dental sealant program for students in Grades 1 to 7 at community schools.
All students? Or those most in need? As it turns out, only for high risk students. So I guess Calvert's realized that young people with families aren't the people who would vote for the NDP unless they are high risk, unlike the senior drug program, which is just for everyone, because most seniors vote for the NDP.
— Social assistance increases of $10 a month for Saskatchewan Assistance Plan and Transitional Employment Allowance recipients and $5 a month increase in the personal living allowance.
Another continuation of the same old programs, just increasing funding. More evidence of a lack of forward thinking on the part of this tired government.
— Fully funding the provincial share of the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization program.
If it is the provincial share, why wasn't it fully funded before? That should be the question.
Now, what about what wasn't in the budget?
- Review of our increasingly expensive health care system
- Addressing the burgeoning bureaucracy
- Some sort of tax incentives for environmentally friendly consumers (isn't the environment the biggest issue on people's minds these days?)
What is surprising, however, is that this is a pre-election budget. Has there been a less inspiring budget? Shouldn't a pre-election budget be full of pizazz and big ticket items? Drugs for seniors and a tuition freeze for PSE students? Those are the big items?
I really can't wait until the next provincial budget when the Saskatchewan Party reintroduces financial prudence and releases some ideas that inspire the people of this fine province.
posted by Saskatory at
6:55 PM
2 Comments:
Booyah!!
By
Marty McFly, at 9:37 PM
Wow!!! Nice posting. I really agree with the points you have made.
I would like to add this point: Calvert is giving University graduates tax credits to try and garner a new breed of NDP voters. Younger people, for the most part, don't vote. These are also the people who are more suseptable to left wing thought as taught by their liberal arts professors.
So the NDP thought 'How can we get these people out to vote for us?? Easy, get them to pay less taxes during the early years so we can scrape their bank accounts when they will be making high wages!!' To me, this is very counter-intuitive thinking from the NDP. Tax cuts to keep young people in the province, so they will spend locally? That's a novel concept.....too bad it is a conservaive ideal. I guess it is nice to see a social democrat or socialist like Calvert caving in to conservative ways in his old age. I guess student sit-in's and demonstrations don't pay too well, not like the premier's office!!
By
Scott C, at 9:56 AM
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