Author: Michael Holden
As a think tank dedicated to improving the long-term prosperity of western Canada, the Canada West Foundation will be paying close attention to the signals being sent by the region’s provincial governments and the federal government in their 2013/14 budgets.
Western Canada is facing a number of challenges that governments must address including sluggish productivity growth, looming labour shortages, gaining access to new markets and enhancing the performance of the public sector. We need to be investing in the future, not just spending in the present.
With the above challenges in mind, British Columbia’s Budget Preview lists five things we hope to see in the February 19 budget:
- A clear commitment to balancing the books even if this is not possible in the coming year.
- A plan for addressing future labour shortages.
- A pledge to put all natural gas revenue into the Prosperity Fund.
- No significant increases to business taxes.
- The absorption of medical premiums into the income tax system.Our post-budget analysis, which will be available on February 20, 2013 will assess the degree to which progress is being made in these areas.