The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is happy there are no tax increases in the provincial budget.
Tide News asked Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey if its looks like an election year budget.
He
says normally in an election year there is huge growth in spending but
he thinks the government was concerned with how that would look so the
spending increases are modest.
Lacey says even with a decline the
deficit is still a concern adding it's still huge and a burden that
taxpayers will have to bear well into the future.
As the provincial government tables its new budget, the Minister of Finance says the economy is showing signs of recovery.
A
deficit of 391-million dollars is being projected, down from 564
million-dollars and spending is predicted to grow less than two
percent.
Blaine Higgs says the Energy East pipeline and the development of the natural gas industry will increase investment and more.
Higgs says they have the potential to significantly boost investment, job creation and government revenue for years to come.
He
says given these projects and planned investments in the forestry
sector, the department of finance is forecasting growth of 2.1 per cent
in 2015.
The capital budget which totals 555-million dollars
includes 213-million to maintain and improve health care infrastructure
and 99-million for school infrastracture.
A man
being charged in the theft of a power utility vehicle from the parking
lot of the Amsterdam Inn on Millennium Drive in the Kennebecasis Valley.
The
NB Power truck was stolen just before 11am on Monday, but it didn't
take police long to track it down. The Rothesay Regional Police finding
the truck a few minutes later and tried to stop it. The 23-year-old then
ran into the woods and was arrested after a short foot chase.
He's going to be appearing in court on Thursday for a bail hearing.
The
Transportation Safety Board has finished its investigation into the
crash of a small plane January 21st between Fredericton and Minto and
determined it went down after running out of fuel. There was no
mechanical problem with the plane itself.
The
pilot, a 22 year old student from the Fredericton campus of the Moncton
Flight College used his cellphone to direct rescuers to where he was in
the woods before he was airlifted to hospital for treatment of his
injuries.
Shocked
by your heating bill this winter? If you're barely able to cover it, you
could qualify for some help from Efficiency NB in the coming months.
A
new program subsidizes home renovations to bring down monthly heating
costs--which could save as much as $1,200 annually. About 100 homes in
need of major upgrades will be finished this fiscal year and another 300
homes next year.
If you're interested in the program, call Efficiency NB at 1-866-643-8833.
Just
prior to the unveiling today of the provincial budget by Finance
Minister Blaine Higgs, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released
its Stop the New Brunswick Debt Clock.
The
Federation's Atlantic Director is Kevin Lacey who tells Tide News the
provincial government can't afford any big pre-election spending spree.
He says the provincial debt is rising by 600 million dollars a year
which comes to 1.6 million dollars a day or nearly 11 hundred dollars an
hour.
Lacey
says the province is broke and he would like to see the Alward
Government's plan to get a balanced budget, if there is one.
DEBT CLOCK: click here
