Budget Fails Our Jobless in Two Ways: Hudak
28 March 2012
“Premier Dalton McGuinty took not an axe, but a butter knife to his budget.”
- The Toronto Sun, March 27, 2012
QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario’s 600,000 unemployed will be saddened this morning to learn that Tuesday’s budget does nothing to give them hope, PC Leader Tim Hudak said today.
“The budget fails them on two counts,” Hudak said. “First, it’s not just the total absence of a jobs plan. It’s the fact that the budget actually makes things worse for the job creators who could help get our 600,000 unemployed men and women back to work.”
This is because the Liberals increased their tax load by canceling the promised next round of business tax reductions – in the midst of an economic downturn, Hudak said.
“Second, it does too little to steer us off the path toward a massive, $30 billion deficit and a looming $411 billion debt.”
This is a clear signal to job creators and credit agencies that Ontario can’t afford the things that make us an attractive place to relocate to, expand and invest in and create jobs – things like good infrastructure and a competitive business climate with low taxes and flexible and responsive regulation, Hudak said.
“This budget cannot withstand serious scrutiny,” Hudak said. “Liberal claims of a ‘tough’ budget are nothing but focus group-tested spin. This is not an austerity budget.”
Spending is up $2 billion – not down – in the 2012 budget, Hudak added. “As a result, there has been no reduction in the deficit. The Liberals are projecting the exact same deficit for 2012 as for 2011.”
As well, budgets have increased in fully 14 of 24 Ministries representing fully 82 per cent of the budget, Hudak said. “If this wasn’t the year for Dalton McGuinty to finally say ‘no’, how much worse does it have to get?
“And in the face of all that, the government continues its trademark spending binges at a pace of $1.8 million an hour more than it takes in. That’s nearly $2 million in new debt in the time it takes for an hour of Question Period alone.”
Hudak said Ontarians will now increasingly turn look to a positive, alternative approach that – unlike the Liberal budget – offers real ideas for taming deficits and debt, and an effective private sector job creation plan.
“And that alternative is the PC Party of Ontario,” Hudak said.