We’re Back in Black, but not in a T.N.T. or a Highway to Hell sort of a way.
The powers that be in the Legislature are lauding the 2014 Budget, which was released last Thursday, for the fact that we finally have a balanced budget after several consecutive deficits. You’ll recall the talk of economic downturns and bitumen bubbles surrounding provincial budgets from previous years.
Well there was none of that as premier Allison Redford and her crew showed us a budget that they say has us back on track toward financial prosperity and fiscal conservatism.
This is, of course, great news. Until you look at the fine print and realize that the provincial government is using a little doublethink to justify this claim.
We’re out of debt as a province — on the operating side. On the capital side, we’re looking at billions of dollars in new debt that we’ll have the pleasure of paying down over the next decade.
So when they say balanced budget, we should take that with a big grain of salt … not that we’d want to call them liars.
We’re assured that this is necessary debt to take on — after all, we continue to see a surging population in Alberta and all those people will need roads, hospitals and schools. No argument there, but suggesting the only way to pay for all this stuff is taking on debt is ludicrous.
It’s ludicrous especially considering the population boom we’re seeing in Alberta is directly tied to the resource boom, in which we see large multinational companies extracting record profits from Albertans’ resources. Not the companies’ resources, not the provincial government’s resources, but Albertans’ resources.
But tax is a dirty word here in Alberta. Suggest that we could raise corporate taxes, or even do away with the flat-tax that sees the working poor bear a substantial portion of the income tax burden, and you’re liable to be run out of town on a rail.
To be honest, we’re not exactly Thunderstruck by this provincial budget, and not because we don’t like its contents — it has its ups and downs — but because of the flagrant mistruths that are being cited in support of it.
We should be able expect more from our governments, Conservative or otherwise.
