In the planned Ontario election campaign just days away, the Ford government is misleading voters through measures such as reducing the gas tax and a tax credit for seniors, along with investments in highways. .
According to the budget, spending is expected to increase by more than 6% in 2022-23 from this year, to $ 198.6 billion. This is 20% more than before the pandemic in 2019-2020.
Returning to a balanced budget will have to wait until 2027-2028.
Most of the measures contained in the 2022 budget have already been announced in recent months by Doug Ford and his ministers.
What’s new: a home care tax credit for seniors, a tax deduction for the less affluent, and a promise to add a provincial park (location and cost have yet to be determined).
The budget will likely never pass before the provincial election on June 2, as the Progressive Conservatives are scheduled to adjourn the Legislative Assembly this week and then begin the election campaign next Wednesday.
Therefore, the budget will only serve as an electoral framework for Doug Ford. Its finance minister, Peter Bethlenfalvy, has refused to commit to ratifying it in its current form if the Progressive Conservatives are re -elected.
” This is our plan to rebuild the economy. “
Premier Ford’s press secretary, Ivana Yelich, tried to correct the situation by saying it on Twitter after the budget was filed on Thursday: This is the budget that Doug Ford will re -present if he is re -elected. Final point.
Minister Bethlenfalvy defended himself from not balancing the budget more quickly, while the Office of Financial Accountability of Ontario (BRF) recently argued that the province could come out in the red in 2023-2024.
He said the pandemic showed the scale of underinvestment from the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP.
” We have the right balance. The deficit will be eliminated two years earlier than planned. We invest in infrastructure. “
A tax credit for home care
According to the budget, seniors age 70 and older living at home will be eligible for a new tax credit that covers up to 25% of their medical expenses, up to a maximum of $ 6,000 of $ 1500.
Eligible expenses include: assistance of a nurse or an occupational therapist, dental care, purchase of glasses, scooters, diapers and oxygen devices.
Promises unspecified
The government does not measure the value of many of the proposals contained in the budget, including the controversial Highway 413 project. The explanation: the province is waiting for calls for tenders.
Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservatives have promised a new provincial park, but do not know where it will be located or how much such a project will cost, saying those details have yet to be determined.
The Minister of Francophone Affairs, Caroline Mulroney, joyfully announced in November a modernization of the provincial French Language Services Act. However, no additional money is allocated in the budget.
The reactions
The Leader of the Official Opposition, New Democrat Andrea Horwath, accused the Progressive Conservatives of ignoring the population’s weeping need for affordable housing and the high cost of dental care and medicine, in particular.
This government is completely cut off from the reality of ordinary Ontariohe says.
He warned voters if they choose to give a second term to the Ford government, while the Finance Minister has refused to confirm that he will pass the budget in its current form, if the Progressive Conservatives are re -elected.
” What are they hiding? Doug Ford will start cutting spending again if he is re -elected. “
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca has accused the Ford government of cutting education spending by $ 1.3 billion in the past year.
” There are no new ideas for improving our schools or providing better care for seniors. “
Political scientist Geneviève Tellier, a professor at the University of Ottawa, pointed out that Doug Ford, who was elected in 2018 by promising to limit spending, is abandoning this approach as the election approaches.
” They made an electoral budget. They cannot show that they are financially prudent, which is unsatisfactory on their basis. And the business community will not be happy with this budget, because it will create inflation, it will exacerbate the labor shortage. “
That said, he said the budget requires an average increase in program spending of 2.5% per year. Considering current inflation, that looks pretty lowhe says.
During the 2018 election campaign, Doug Ford promised to reduce taxes for the middle class, but this promise will not be seen in the budget again this year. There is no $ 500 rebate like in Quebec to help Ontarians cope with the rapidly rising cost of living during the pandemic.
In fact, the big winners of this budget are motorists, Professor Tellier emphasizes, who should be entitled, if Mr. Ford, in cutting the gas tax, has not yet mentioned the cancellation of registration stickers and investments in motorways. .
Source: Radio-Canada
