Crumbs for you, Cake for us: Budget 2011
If you take a look at this year’s budget and you have an issue that you’re interested in, chances are you’ll find it on the list. There are in fact almost twice as many items on this year’s budget list as the large 2009 stimulus budget. There are some items on seniors, some items on EI, some items for kids, hell, there is even funding for a big Grey Cup party, (hopefully without the Black Eyed Peas).
The budget tastes just like unflavoured yoghurt, as plain as you like it. You can stir it all you want, but you won’t find controversy or a poison pill.
As any kid will tell you, what’s interesting is not that the yoghurt is plain, but what you’ve left out. Where is the strawberry jam??
There are no new estimates of the reckless and on-going corporate tax cuts. There is no estimate of the cost of new jails or new fighter jets. In fact, there is not one word in the entire budget on these extremely expensive, not to mention controversial, programs. From what the CCPA’s crack team of economists has been able to estimate, the government is spending $7.50 on its jails, jets and tax cuts for every $1 of new program spending in the 2011 budget.
So are the proposed changes bad, not really but they sure are small. While GIS changes and EcoEnergy programs are getting crumbs, the big boys on Bay Street got sent the multi-layered cake. The one hidden area is substantial additional cuts to federal departments. Departments will now have to be ready every year for a 0%, 5% or 10% cut. It sure won’t pay to be on the wrong side of treasury for a couple years in a row as you might have a bad string of 10% cuts.
1.4 million Canadians are out of work, households are more indebted than they’ve ever been, private pension sustainability is in question and everyone wonders if health care will be there. The federal government could have taken action on these issues. Certainly the resources are there given what was spent on a small number of Conservative priorities. Instead we’ll have a great Grey Cup half-time show.
Canadians have a right to expect more.
The 2011 Budget Program List:
|
Program |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
Total |
Page Source |
|
Assistance to Manufacturing Sector |
65 |
65 |
56 |
||
|
Hiring Credit Small Business |
41 |
124 |
165 |
56 |
|
|
Extending Work Sharing |
10 |
10 |
56 |
||
|
EI Pilot (Work while on benefit) |
240 |
180 |
420 |
56 |
|
|
EI Older Workers |
25 |
25 |
56 |
||
|
Wage Earner Protection |
5 |
5 |
10 |
56 |
|
|
Mineral Exploration |
120 |
-30 |
90 |
56 |
|
|
Net Fiscal Cost |
41 |
494 |
215 |
750 |
56 |
|
Young Entrepreneurs |
0 |
10 |
10 |
20 |
99 |
|
Reduce red tape Bizpal |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
99 |
|
Prevent Labout Disruptions |
1 |
1 |
2 |
99 |
|
|
Canada’s Standards |
2 |
2 |
99 |
||
|
Clean Tech and Innovation |
32 |
64 |
96 |
99 |
|
|
Clean Energy in Abo & North |
4 |
4 |
8 |
99 |
|
|
Alaska Pipeline |
2 |
2 |
4 |
99 |
|
|
Tax Support Clean Energy Generation |
1 |
2 |
3 |
99 |
|
|
Cut Fossil fuel subsidies |
-15 |
-30 |
-45 |
99 |
|
|
AECL |
364 |
1 |
365 |
99 |
|
|
Canada India Research Centre |
3 |
3 |
99 |
||
|
Civil Avation Org |
1 |
1 |
2 |
99 |
|
|
Financial Literacy |
3 |
3 |
6 |
99 |
|
|
Coast to Coast highway |
30 |
30 |
99 |
||
|
Bridges Montreal |
15 |
47 |
62 |
99 |
|
|
Federal Infrastructure |
1 |
3 |
4 |
99 |
|
|
Small Harbours |
14 |
1 |
15 |
99 |
|
|
Ag Innovation |
25 |
25 |
50 |
99 |
|
|
Plant and Animal Health Risks |
-24 |
19 |
13 |
8 |
99 |
|
Agri-Quebec |
5 |
1 |
6 |
99 |
|
|
Strengthening Food Safety |
9 |
8 |
17 |
99 |
|
|
Forestry Innovation |
60 |
60 |
99 |
||
|
Total |
-24 |
554 |
194 |
724 |
|
|
Net Fiscal Total |
-24 |
469 |
90 |
535 |
99 |
|
Enhancing GIS |
223 |
307 |
530 |
131 |
|
|
New Horizons |
5 |
5 |
10 |
131 |
|
|
Tax credit Caregivers |
40 |
160 |
200 |
131 |
|
|
Caregiver medical expenses |
1 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
131 |
|
Flexible RDSP |
3 |
1 |
4 |
131 |
|
|
End of Life Care |
3 |
3 |
131 |
||
|
Child Arts Tax Credit |
25 |
100 |
100 |
225 |
131 |
|
Volunteer FireFighters |
5 |
15 |
15 |
35 |
131 |
|
Forgive Loans for Doctor & Nurses |
9 |
9 |
131 |
||
|
Harbourfront Centre |
5 |
5 |
10 |
131 |
|
|
Calgary Stampede |
5 |
5 |
131 |
||
|
Grey Cup |
5 |
5 |
131 |
||
|
Periodical Fund |
15 |
15 |
30 |
131 |
|
|
Royal Conservatory |
8 |
8 |
131 |
||
|
CBC/Radio-Can |
60 |
60 |
131 |
||
|
On-Reserve Fuel Tanks |
10 |
12 |
22 |
131 |
|
|
Clean Air Reg |
122 |
131 |
253 |
132 |
|
|
Clean Energy Reg |
43 |
43 |
86 |
132 |
|
|
Clean Transport |
22 |
26 |
48 |
132 |
|
|
Climate Change Adaptation |
25 |
33 |
58 |
132 |
|
|
Int Climate Change |
13 |
13 |
26 |
132 |
|
|
EcoEnergy |
400 |
400 |
132 |
||
|
Protect Great Lakes |
2 |
3 |
5 |
132 |
|
|
National Parks |
0.3 |
1 |
1.3 |
132 |
|
|
Toxic Chemicals |
100 |
100 |
200 |
132 |
|
|
Weather Services |
10 |
16 |
26 |
132 |
|
|
Air Travel Security |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
132 |
|
|
Youth Crime |
10 |
10 |
20 |
132 |
|
|
Safe Abo Communities |
15 |
15 |
30 |
132 |
|
|
Nunavut Justice |
2 |
2 |
4 |
132 |
|
|
War Crimes |
8 |
8 |
16 |
132 |
|
|
Federal Victims |
13 |
13 |
26 |
132 |
|
|
Firearms waiver |
17 |
4 |
21 |
132 |
|
|
Total |
31 |
1302.5 |
1050.1 |
2383.6 |
|
|
Net Fiscal Cost |
31 |
980 |
768 |
1779 |
132 |
|
Accelerated adoption of IT |
20 |
30 |
50 |
156 |
|
|
Showcasing digital Content |
100 |
100 |
200 |
156 |
|
|
NSERC |
15 |
15 |
30 |
156 |
|
|
CIHR |
15 |
15 |
30 |
156 |
|
|
SSHRC |
7 |
7 |
14 |
156 |
|
|
Indirect costs of Research |
10 |
10 |
20 |
156 |
|
|
World Talen |
10 |
10 |
156 |
||
|
Treatment brain disorders |
10 |
10 |
20 |
156 |
|
|
Genomics Research |
65 |
65 |
156 |
||
|
Isotope Production |
2 |
1 |
3 |
156 |
|
|
Climate and Atmosphere research |
7 |
7 |
14 |
156 |
|
|
Perimeter Institute |
10 |
10 |
156 |
||
|
Advancing Clean Tech |
20 |
20 |
40 |
156 |
|
|
Commercializing Research |
4 |
7 |
11 |
156 |
|
|
Student Loans:income exemption |
24 |
30 |
54 |
156 |
|
|
Student Loans: no interest part time |
2 |
5 |
7 |
156 |
|
|
Adult Ed in North |
2 |
7 |
9 |
156 |
|
|
RESP Students Abroad |
3 |
10 |
156 |
||
|
Tax cut for Cert Examiners |
1 |
5 |
10 |
156 |
|
|
International Ed |
5 |
5 |
10 |
156 |
|
|
Total |
309 |
297 |
617 |
||
|
Total Fiscal Cost |
$ 2,252 |
$ 1,370 |
$ 3,681 |
||
The spin out of the Finance Dept., courtesy of the Globe, is that tax loopholes are being closed:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/budget/news/where-will-tories-find-spare-cash-close-1-billion-in-tax-loopholes/article1935351/
What about access to tax havens?
Jack is a dude and rejected the budget- just watching the press conference now.
Bring on the election and progressives gets your pencils and keyboards cleaned.
Tea party Economics