Friday 15 February 2019

Province pulls off narrow surplus for 2018-19

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Replying to and 49 others
"It’s going to be a difficult budget,' says finance minister"

Surprise Surprise Surprise

https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/02/province-pulls-off-narrow-surplus-for.html




https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/higgs-government-projects-narrow-budget-surplus-1.5019718


Province pulls off narrow surplus for 2018-19

'It’s going to be a difficult budget,' says finance minister


Finance Minister Ernie Steeves says he's still looking for new ways to reduce spending for his first provincial budget next month. (CBC)

 he New Brunswick government will have a razor-thin $4.5 million budget surplus this year, Progressive Conservative Finance Minister Ernie Steeves has announced.
The dramatic improvement over the $188.7-million deficit projected in the Liberal government's last budget is attributed mostly to higher than expected revenues, including personal and corporate income taxes and federal transfer payments.

The new projection is from the government's third-quarter financial results for 2018-19.



Premier Blaine Higgs let the cat out of the bag two weeks ago when he said the province would have a balanced budget this year.
But Steeves warned that the surplus is on a "thin edge" and the province's debt continues to grow. That means his first provincial budget next month will look for new ways to reduce spending, he said.

"It's going to be a difficult budget. We need to explore new ways to do things in a more efficient manner."

Steeves said he's looking at all programs "from beginning to end" to find savings.

Figures released by Steeves's department project corporate income tax revenue will be $130.9 million higher than expected when the 2018-19 year ends on March 31. Personal income tax is forecast to be $101 million higher than expected.


Premier Blaine Higgs announced during his first state of the province speech that New Brunswick would have a balanced budget this year. (Stephen MacGillivray/Canadian Press)

Federal transfers for health and social services are also up because Statistics Canada has updated its 2016 census figures to reflect a higher New Brunswick population.

Spending is also higher than in the budget, including $21.7 million the province must spend to pay off contractors who were ordered in December to stop their work on various projects.

That's when Steeves cut planned infrastructure spending by more than $200 million, cancelling several large projects started under the Gallant Liberals.
That included a replacement New Brunswick Museum in Saint John and a new courthouse in Fredericton.

In its throne speech last fall, the Higgs government promised two tax cuts whenever the province had a balanced budget.

One was the elimination of the small business tax and the other was an end to property taxes on secondary properties.

Steeves said the government hasn't decided whether to make those cuts in its upcoming budget.
The minister will introduce his first full budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year when the legislature resumes March 19.

About the Author


Jacques Poitras
Provincial Affairs reporter
Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. Raised in Moncton, he also produces the CBC political podcast Spin Reduxit. 


CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices



100 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.





David Amos
David Amos
"It’s going to be a difficult budget,' says finance minister"

Surprise Surprise Surprise





David Amos
David Amos
Methinks if folks are truly concerned about taxation and balanced budgets etc they should checkout the hidden debts within all the politicians' favourite cashcow NB Power.

If anyone wishes to recall not long after the writ was dropped Gallant promised to freeze the power rates for four years much to the chagrin of the Green Party leader who can't be named in the CBC domain. However as soon as Mr Higgs became the Premier the Greens changed their tune and brought the questionable;e Crown Corp before a legislative committee as soon as NB Power applied for a big rate hike with EUB. Its in the news what happened at the committee but nothing is said about what happened at the EUB hearing on Feb 6th.

At least nobody can deny that the EUB hearings and their transcripts are a matter of public record as well N'esy Pas?
 
 
 
 
stephen blunston
 stephen blunston
great tax cuts for businesses ... booo on you mr higgs , they hide all the ptrofits to say that don't make any pay very little taxes as it is and you want to cut more .. how about us ordinary people that never seem to get a break anyplace . I like the balanced budget part . if you looking for cuts lets cut duality of services .. and I don't meen front line people but the fools sitting in offices running separate systems for no reason , and lets start making Irving pay their fair share of tax or give us all the same tax break.


David Amos
David Amos
@stephen blunston Methinks it was rather obvious long ago that the main mandate of Mr Higgs is to keep the Irving Clan Happy Happy Happy N'esy Pas?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lou Bell
  Gary Spencer
In Ontario 124 MPPs service 14.19 million people, that is 114,435 constituents per MPP. If the Higgs Government really wants to make meaningful cuts they should begin by reducing the number of MLAs to 750,000/114,435 = 6.5 MLAs. To be fair, we probably need around 20.


stephen blunston
stephen blunston
@Gary Spencer agreed over head is to big Fredericton for the salaries and gold pensions they steal , and I do meen steal as they do no damn work

David Amos
David Amos
@Gary Spencer Good Point








Lou Bell
Lou Bell
Meanwhile , Robert Gauvin was at a meeting of the Franco Phonie Games . Hopefully he clarified that New Brunswick is a province of only 750,000 people and NOT a country ! And that many of the participating countries are not even Francophone countries of any kind .


David Amos
David Amos 
@Lou Bell Methinks you forgot the best part Everybody knows the Quebecois lawyer Melanie Joly had shown no leadership when she was the Heritage Minister so she was shuffled away to oversee Canada's Francophonie issues Now Joly slams her home province for being cheap just like the Acadian lawyerDominic Leblanc did Too Too Funny N'esy Pas?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/robert-gauvin-paris-2021-francophonie-games-1.5019904

"Earlier this week, after a special meeting of council Monday night, the City of Sherbrooke decided to pursue the games.

The city competed against Moncton-Dieppe during the original bidding process, presenting a budget of $52 million.

But the revised budget came up to $84 million, and with the province of Quebec putting the cap at $17 million for its contribution, Sherbrooke also found itself coming up short.

Quebec asked the federal government Wednesday whether it would contribute more than 50 per cent of the bill.

Canada's Francophonie minister, Melanie Joly, said Quebec would need to show more leadership and up its contribution if it was serious about the games.

Meeting chair Annie Laflamme of Canada said there were no offers on the table to host the 2021 Francohonie Games. (Radio-Canada)"


David Amos
David Amos
@Lou Bell Methinks Mr Higgs' decision made a lot of local French folks HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY no matter what his deputy may claim to foreign francophones N'esy Pas?

"Speaking in front of member states' representatives, Gauvin addressed New Brunswick's decision. "The decision to withdraw from organizing the games was made with a heavy heart," he said."









Lou Bell 
Lou Bell
The whiners sure seem to dislike helping the small business people !


David Amos
David Amos
@Lou Bell True but nobody knows who you are so why would your opinion count?










Lou Bell 
Lou Bell
Ah , nice to get a good nights rest knowing the " boogeyman " ( or should I say drunken sailor ) will no longer be bangin' on the door wantin' his money !


David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
@Lou Bell Then why are you up so late commenting in CBC?



David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos Too Funny









Lou Bell 
Jim Cyr
It's very simple: the Conservatives prefer to have a surplus, even if it's a small one. The Libs and Greens are fine with a deficit, even if it's a big one.
Full stop.


David Amos
David Amos
@Jim Cyr "Full stop"

Too late you already put your foot in your mouth



Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Jim Cyr

Then why did your idol Higgs run a deficit for 4 years when he was the finance minister ?









Lou Bell 
eddy watts
The last time Higgs was part of government (Alward 2010-14) spending was indeed lower, but CUTS in essential services (health, education) were debilitating , as well as the increase in taxes. "Lest we Forget 2010-14" Job creation (minus 2%) Number of new businesses (minus 5%) new taxes (plus 5%)....University grad exodus (plus 6%)....Nova Scotia grad exodus minus 1%...other grads moved into N.S. The only group to benefit during 2010-14 Conservative tenure ?Big Business.


David Amos
David Amos
@eddy watts YUP


Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@eddy watts

Exactly.










Pierre Cyr 
Pierre Cyr
Hardly makes sense. Revenue is up over 240 million and the feds added an extra 180 million which alone would wipe the deficit of about 188 million but we are barely treading water? Theres a 200+ million $ hole in that budget.


David Amos
David Amos
@Pierre Cyr It appears so



Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Pierre Cyr

As someone always says * welcome to the circus*...

David Amos
David Amos
@Marc Martin Methinks you play you part quite well N'esy Pas?

Pierre Cyr
Pierre Cyr
@David Amos And Im not adding the cuts of 180 million last fall in the capital estimates. 400 million $ surplus.










Lou Bell 
eddy watts
Ha not too difficult to do: CUT CUT CUT. No plans to increase revenue, typical Conservative innovative planning i..e. Less services in Health...Education.....environment....ohhhh no cuts in tax however, unless your name starts with I and ends in G.


Jim Cyr
Jim Cyr
@eddy watts Eddy, this may surprise you, but having a robust economy actually increases revenue to the state.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@eddy watts So you've already seen the budget ! Hmmm !

David Amos
David Amos
@Jim Cyr Thats common knowledge even the Greens and the NDP know that



Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Jim Cyr

facts ? Links ?

David Amos
David Amos
@Marc Martin Methinks SANB dudes should forgo Gallant's free tuition and study economics at a different university N'esy Pas?

Seamus O'hern
Seamus O'hern
@David Amos ....Bahahaha....indeed David.

Pierre LaRoches
Pierre LaRoches
@eddy watts Liberals increased revenue via fees and taxes by a billion dollars, then raised spending to match. Higgs and co have to unwrap all that without sending us spiraling. It is difficult to fix the mess Liberals make.











Harold Benson 
Harold Benson
Where is the litigator when you need him?


David Amos
David Amos
@Harold Benson I have been here all along










Lou Bell 
Aaron Lagendyk
Can we invest that money into a green energy grid?


David Amos
David Amos
@Aaron Lagendyk Methinks we are already producing more that enough electricity Its High Time to take care of the old folks in the hospitals who can't find a bed N'esy Pas?



stephen blunston
stephen blunston
@David Amos they couldn't do that they wouldn't be able to cut more business taxes if they actually helped the people needing it









Lou Bell 
Doug Leblanc
He should put it all on our funded debt in Gallant's name.

Gallant added over 3 billion and could have paved the highways with that.

Where he spent 3 billion is a good question that francophones should ask him.


David Amos
David Amos
@Doug Leblanc Methinks Gallant's fair weather francophonie friends have already deleted his number form their smart phones that we no doubt paid for N'esy Pas?



Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Doug Leblanc

*Gallant added over 3 billion *

He did ? What did the government do before him ?









Lou Bell 
Richard Dunn
Keep up the great work Mr. Steeves. It will not be easy but we have the right team on the job.

It has been refreshing to see lots of positive changes now that we have adults looking after the chequebook.


David Amos
David Amos
@Richard Dunn Dream on



Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Richard Dunn

*Keep up the great work Mr. Steeves*

Didn't the Cons fund a Steve family reunion when they were in power ?










Lou Bell  
Jody Melsom
Let's see how excited we are when the highways are undriveable because they cut all road repair funding. How many more people get to die on Route 11 because he stopped the twinning of the highway??


Jim Cyr
Jim Cyr
@Jody Melsom That twinning was the most farcical project ever. Total "make work".

David Amos
David Amos
@Jim Cyr YUP










Harold Benson 
Harold Benson
Razor thin, in other words you don't have to tell us what you are going to do with it.


David Amos
David Amos
@Harold Benson Mais Ouis










Lou Bell

Shawn McShane
Everybody wants the surplus to go somewhere. the biggest hands at the table are the banks wanting interest on the debt. 1974 Pierre Trudeau should not have taken the country off the Bank of Canada.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rocco-galati-challenges-bank-of-canada-to-offer-interest-free-loans-1.3065650
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/04/17/Liberate-Bank-of-Canada/

David Amos
David Amos
@Shawn McShane FYI I have spoken personally with Rocco Galati Have you?










Matt Steele 
Matt Steele
This is certainly good news , but with a 14 BILLION PLUS prov. debt hanging over the taxpayers heads , a lot more needs to be done . The Prov. is spending nearly 2 MILLION per day just in interest payments . It is time to streamline govt. services ; and start getting rid of the govt. fat . Govt. should be providing ESSENTIAL SERVICES , and stop being a make work project for people who know someone in govt . Get rid of the Off Road Vehicle Unit as the Conservation Officers can do that job ; get rid of the Cigarette Police as the RCMP can do that job ; get rid of all the people in the Education dept. like Teacher Leads , Education Directors , etc. who are not actually teaching a classroom.....and so on . It would be so EASY to reduce govt. spending if the political will was there .


Eugene Peabody
Eugene Peabody
@Matt Steele It is always so easy for a Con to cut government costs,just eliminate jobs and services that I do not want. And that thinking is why there is a perfect Bell Curve on charts that show GDP and Conservative government reigns.We can see that right here in NB very easy.

Matt Steele
Matt Steele
@Eugene Peabody .... The prov. debt DOUBLED in the last 10 years....14.2 BILLION debt and nearly 2 MILLION per day just in interest payments . This for a province of around 750,000 people , with one of the oldest populations in Canada , and a rapidly declining birth rate....quite the bell curve .

Aaron Lagendyk
Aaron Lagendyk
@Matt Steele It's a lot simpler than just cutting some programs. Just lower taxes. Revenue doesn't come from personal income tax. It comes from capital gains and small business. It also doesn't help that a handful of companies have an absolute monopoly in the province either.

tldr; You give people more money and they're apt to spend it.

David Amos
FDavid Amos
@Matt Steele Methinks Mr Higgs knows that what I have been pounding on for years about how to get us out of debt I explained again during the last election in a debate in Fundy with Bruce Northrup et al and on Rogers TV as well. Nobody has disputed it yet.









Lou Bell  
Fred Sanford
I for one would love to see them cancel the stupid free tuition that the Liberals brought in and return to the previous student loan rebate for graduates who stay and work in the province. It's cheaper and creates incentives for our youth to at least try to make a life here instead of educating our young people for the benefit of other provinces.


Dan Armitage
Dan Armitage
@Fred Sanford Fred nurses tuition went up over 2000 dollars after the liberals started paying tuition In turn costing us all. The rebate on the student loan is a good program and we need to go even a little farther like you say in helping keep our kids here.
More work at keeping our youth In the province instead of worrying about immigration is first then immigration is second to that.

David Amos
David Amos
@Fred Sanford Me Too










Lou Bell  
michael levesque
you could even have a larger surplus if you would go after the 600 plus people collecting pension check they do not qualify for like rodeny weston and dana glendenning. just as domonic cardy he knows about it.


David Amos
David Amos
@michael levesque Methinks now that Cardy is a cabinet minister he has forgotten everything questionable conservatives and liberals have done in the past N'esy Pas?










Lou Bell 
kelly sherrard
There absolutely should not be cuts to healthcare and education. They have cut and slashed these 2 areas for so long and then they blame the workers when the resulting gaping holes become evident. This budget and the following ones during the Conservatives term could mean another 1 term gov't and you can't blame the voters for it.......


Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@kelly sherrard

*There absolutely should not be cuts to healthcare and education*

Where do you think he will replace the small business taxe revenues and the property taxe revenue ? It has to come from somewhere. Higgs was a finance minster for 4 years, for 4 years the Cons ran a deficit. There is only one way to replace these taxe, either he cuts OR he up taxe on the revenue.

Fred Brewer
Fred Brewer
@Marc Martin
All he has to do is start making big industry pay its fair share of taxes.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@kelly sherrard Not sure where you get the cuts to Education , or even healthcare for that matter in the past few years ! But spin if you must !

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Marc Martin Just needs to rid the province of the spending " like a drunken sailor " of the party he just defeated !

Colin Seeley
Colin Seeley
@Fred Brewer

They just said that in NYC to Amazon.

They are leaving for somewhere else.

SNC were denied. They may fold and 8000 jobs lost to PQ.

Can’t be a serious comment.

Jake Devries
Jake Devries
@kelly sherrard he can save a bundle by combining the 2 health admins and the 2 Educations ones too..So much waste in duplicating...I hope PA really push the PC's into doing that

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Jake Devries

education is not an option its mandate by the Federal government in every province.

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Fred Brewer

He has just mentioned he will lower the taxe for business and remove the proprety taxe...all that taxe money where will he take it from ?

Fred Brewer
Fred Brewer
@Colin Seeley
"They just said that in NYC to Amazon. "

Yup, and it was an easy decision for Amazon to leave as they had not started construction. But not so easy to move a refinery or a pulp mill. Get my drift?

eddy watts
eddy watts
@kelly sherrard you've got it...There was no (real) planning under Alward to reduce the debt besides CUTTING EDUCATION and HEALTH, as well as other services. Higgs was part of that government.

David Amos
David Amos
@Fred Brewer "All he has to do is start making big industry pay its fair share of taxes."

YUP


Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Fred Brewer

*But not so easy to move a refinery or a pulp mill. Get my drift?*

And the big sawmill they have in St Leonard..thats a big one for them.










Lou Bell 
Marc Martin
*One was the elimination of the small business tax and the other was an end to property taxes on secondary properties. *

Totally a Cons move give more to the rich and remove from the poor. These taxes he will removes are millions he will need to get back somewhere.


Fred Brewer
Fred Brewer
@Marc Martin
That's a simplistic view of things. Reducing or eliminating taxes can spur the economy and generate additional tax revenue from HST and other existing taxes.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Marc Martin So , NO CUTS to small business tax or second properties ! I imagine VERY FEW of these , if any , are " the rich " that you refer to !

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Fred Brewer

Did it work when Harper was in charge of Canada ? The billions the industry saved was not reinvested into the economy with jobs.

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Lou Bell

Well they are richer then me. I don't own a second home do you ?

Stephen Long
Stephen Long
@Marc Martin It's not just second homes. Try to make a bit more money by renting a room in your house or the basement and you'll pay for it with higher property tax.

Eugene Peabody
Eugene Peabody
@Lou Bell No not all are but there are lots of people who are doing good.The cuts WILL help those who do not need it and not make much difference to the rest and will do nothing to improve the economy.All you have to do is look at the corporate tax cuts under Graham .That cut government revenue by approximately $400 million and did nothing to bring in new companies and did not improve the GDP despite being told over and over again that it would .

Eugene Peabody
Eugene Peabody
@Stephen Long So what is wrong with that? Improve your property and your assessment will go up because it is valued more if you want to sell it.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Stephen Long 2nd properties ! All your SANB buddies have cottages out Shediac way ! That's where they hold their " caucus " meetings !

David Amos
David Amos
@Marc Martin Cry me a river











Lou Bell 
Colin Seeley
Revenue increases were the results of increased personal and business taxes and transfer payments from Ottawa . Hardly a good thing.

Liberal Project Expenses were trimmed by $200 million.

A very good thing.

We stilll don’t have non - Govt job growth

Stay tuned. Higgs. Will fix the illLiberal messes.


Robert Brannen
Robert Brannen
@Colin Seeley

Was that a $200 million dollar trimming, or only $178.3 million due to the $21.7 million the province must spend as a result of the trimming?

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Colin Seeley

Oh will he ? Where do you think he will get the revenue taxes he is going to remove from the riches ? Do you think small business will hire more ? No. Do you think the rent and houses will go down ? NO.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Robert Brannen Better to spend a little to save a lot than to spend a lot and save nothing .

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Marc Martin So , you're against small business or even helping them ! Perhaps we just need to help keep them from going out of business ! If you read the newspapers from around the province you would have seen where quite a few closed their doors in January all around the province !!

David Amos
David Amos
@Robert Brannen Methinks we should wait and see the budget N'esy Pas?











Lou Bell 
Emery Hyslop-Margison
Excellent news! Now PLEASE use the excess cash to start fixing the massive potholes on New Brunswick roadways before someone gets seriously injured or killed trying to avoid them!


Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Emery Hyslop-Margison

Extra cash ? You people are not too good at math, he will need more cash to replace the 2 taxes he intend to remove and lower.

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Marc Martin Don't worry ! Them Liberal potholes will get fixed !

David Amos
David Amos
@Emery Hyslop-Margison Good Point











Lou Bell 
Dan Armitage
In its throne speech last fall, the Higgs government promised two tax cuts whenever the province had a balanced budget.

One was the elimination of the small business tax and the other was an end to property taxes on secondary properties.

keep this promise and your numbers will go no were but up


Rosco holt
Rosco holt
@Dan Armitage
Which numbers?
The provincial debt.... Is that the one?

Lou Bell
Lou Bell
@Rosco holt Getting the cost of the debt in control will do great things in the end ! Don't worry , he''l prove you wrong !

Marc Martin
Marc Martin
@Lou Bell

You mean like he did when he was minister of finance for 4 years running the worst deficit in years ?

David Amos
David Amos
@Dan Armitage Methinks its rather unusual for you to expect a politician to keep a promise particularly when it comes to elimination of taxation N'esy Pas?





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